UNiyERSITY  of  OALlKUKrtM^ 

AT 

TJIS  ANGELES 


THE  EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 


THE    EPIC 
SONGS    OF    RUSSIA 


BY 

ISABEL    FLORENCE    HAPGOOD 


WITH    AN    INTRODUCTORY    NOTE   BY 

J.  W.  MACKAIL  M.A.  LL.D. 

FELLOW    OK    THR    BRITISH    ACADEMY 
PORMERLY    PROFESSOR    OF    POETRY    IN    THE    UNIVERSITY    OF    OXFORD 


NEW    YORK 

CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS 

1916 


14fi1lS 


\ 


Originally  published  1S86. 

New  Edition,  with  an  Introduction  hi/ 

Prof.  J.   W.  Mackail,  1916. 


Printed  in  Great  Britain. 


\  VJT 


TO   THE 

YOUNGER    HEROES 

WHO    IN    THE    GREAT   WAR   AGAINST   THE 

POWERS    OF    DARKNESS    HAVE    PROVED    THEMSELVES 

THE    WORTHY    DESCENDANTS 

OF   THE 

BOGATYRS   OF   OLD 

I    DEDICATE   THIS   NEW   EDITION   OF 
THE    EPIC    SONGS    OF   THEIR   BELOVED    FATHERLAND 


Isabel  F.   Hapuooo, 

New  York,  August  1913. 


\\\(\^J 


TO  THE  NAMELESS  HEROES 

Memory  Eternal,  ye  Battlers  for  Russia, 

Who  for  Russian  honour  made  a  fort  with  your  breasts  ! 

Your  duty  done,  now  in  peace  ye  rest, 

And  with  death  a  new  dawn  breaketh  fair  for  you. 

And  if  ye  have  sinned,  await  pardon  with  boldness — 

Ye  have  given  your  lives  to  God  for  the  Tzar. 

Know  this — our  first  prayer  to  the  Saints  is  yours  ever. 

Know  this,  e'en  now  to  all  full  pardon  is  granted. 

Your  glorious  deeds  God  will  never  forget. 

Memory  Eternal,  ye  Battlers  for  Russia, 

Who  for  Russian  honour  made  a  fort  with  your  breasts  ! 

MEMORY  ETERNAL  ! 

(By  Moryak.     Trans.  I.  F.  H.) 


VI 


INTRODUCTORY   NOTE 

These  translations  from  the  wonderful  frag- 
ments of  the  Russian  epic  poetry  of  the  Middle 
Ages  were  originally  published  thirty  years  ago. 
The  time  was  too  early.  In  the  West,  dense  ignor- 
ance of  Russia  still  prevailed.  She  was  thought 
of,  not  as  a  nation  with  a  great  historic  past  and  a 
still  vaster  outlook  towards  the  future,  but  as  a 
mere  shapeless  mass  with  no  intelhgible  history 
and  in  no  vital  relation  either  to  the  rest  of  Europe 
or  to  the  movement  of  the  civilized  world.  The 
Epic  Songs  found  no  large  audience  either  in  America 
or  in  England ;  and  in  England,  at  least,  they  have 
for  many  years  been  inaccessible. 

Yet  to  the  few  who  appreciated  it,  the  volume 
came  as  a  precious  gift,  and  httle  short  of  a  new 
revelation.  Like  another  work  which,  by  an  in- 
teresting coincidence,  appeared  within  the  same 
year.  Sir  Charles  Lyall's  Ancient  Arabian  Poetry, 
it  made  an  epoch ;  it  opened  out  an  undiscovered 
realm  of  poetic  imagination  and  achievement.  A 
better  and  larger  understanding,  both  of  Russia 
and  of  those  Middle  Ages  out  of  which,  in  Russia 
as  elsewhere,  the  modern  world  was  born,  now  may 
— and  surely  will — secure  to  the  Epic  Songs  some- 
thing like  the  admiration  and  acceptance  that  they 
deserve.  Miss  Hapgood,  in  giving  her  consent  to 
this  re-issue  of  her  book,  speaks  to  me  of  its  con- 
tents as  "  just  as  Avonderful,  just  as  fascinating, 
as  when   I   first  encountered  that  goodly  fellow- 

vii 


INTRODUCTORY   NOTE 

ship  of  heroes  "  ;  and  the  feeUng  must  be  fully 
shared  by  all  those  to  whom,  ever  since  they  made 
its  acquaintance,  the  book  has  been  a  treasured 
possession. 

In  this  issue  the  author  has  made  a  few  slight 
corrections  or  alterations ;  but  the  Songs  them- 
selves, as  well  as  the  Introduction  and  Appendix, 
are  substantially  unchanged.  Of  the  circum- 
stances in  which  the  Epic  Songs  of  Russia  are  now 
placed  before  English  readers,  of  the  new  spirit  in 
which  we  now  regard  the  Russian  people,  the 
dedication  which  she  has  prefixed  to  this  edition 
may  speak  sufficiently. 

In  the  original  edition  of  the  work  the  late  Pro- 
fessor Francis  Child,  in  a  brief  preface,  bespoke  a 
welcome  for  it,  and  expressed  his  own  obligation 
to  the  author  for  her  spirited  and  sympathetic 
rendering.  To  that  fine  scholar,  whose  classical 
work  on  the  English  and  Scottish  Ballads  gives 
him  a  lasting  claim  on  our  gratitude,  its  primary 
value  was  in  the  light  it  threw  on  his  own  studies 
in  popular  poetry,  and  the  enlarged  scope  it  gave 
to  a  field  that  he  had  made  peculiarly  his  own. 
But  the  vital  and  human  value  of  these  Epic  Songs 
is  not  so  much  for  the  professed  student  of  national 
tradition  and  popular  art,  as  for  a  much  larger 
circle  :  for  those  who  can  still  delight  in  the  stories 
which  kindled  the  imagination  of  past  ages,  and 
who  recognize,  in  these  fragments  of  a  vanished 
world,  spiritual  kinship  with  all  that  poetry,  from 
the  Odyssey  downwards,  in  which  epic  magnifi- 
cence is  interwoven  with  the  witchery  of  romance. 

The  Epic  Songs  date  from  a  period  when  the 
Russian  people  shared  fully  in  that  brilliant  resur- 
gence of  the  human  spirit  which  culminated,  in 
Western  Europe,  in  the  thirteenth  century.  In 
Russia  its  progress  was  violently  interrupted.     The 

viii 


INTRODUCTORY   NOTE 

Mongol  conquest  of  Southern  Russia,  and  the  dismal 
centuries  of  dislocation  which  followed,  not  only 
checked  the  development  of  the  Russian  people 
themselves,  but  cut  them  off  from  the  rest  of 
Europe.  Only  in  modern  times  has  the  broken 
union  been  painfully  and  partially  resumed.  Russia 
is  now  entering  into  the  full  European  movement. 
In  literature  she  has  produced,  during  the  nine- 
teenth century,  what  are  perhaps  the  greatest 
names  of  that  age  throughout  the  world.  But  we 
shall  better  appreciate,  not  only  the  soul  of  the 
Russian  nation,  but  even  the  universal  master- 
pieces of  Turgenief  or  Tolstoi  or  Dostoievsky,  if  we 
know  something  of  the  rich  soil  out  of  which  they 
sprang.  In  these  Songs,  worn  down  and  flawed 
as  they  are  by  many  generations  of  purely  oral  trans- 
mission, the  imaginative  flame  of  the  Middle  Ages 
still  burns  clearly.  On  the  leaves  of  the  cypresses 
that  grew  by  the  junction  of  the  two  rivers  that 
flowed  from  the  graves  of  Dunai  and  Nastasya 
was  written,  "  This  marvel  came  to  pass  for  the 
wonder  of  all  young  people  and  the  solace  of  the 
old."  The  words  may  be  taken  as  a  symbol ;  their 
spirit  is  the  same  as  that  of  Homer's  lines,  "  This 
the  Gods  fashioned,  and  spun  destruction  for  men, 
that  there  may  be  a  song  even  for  times  to  be." 
And  just  as  they  embody  the  spirit  of  the  epic,  so 
the  marvel  and  mystery  of  romance  are  embodied 
in  the  words  describing  the  harp-playing  of  Stavr, 
"  One  string  he  strung  from  Kief  and  one  from 
Tzargrad,  and  the  third  from  far  Jerusalem.  He 
played  great  dances,  and  sang  songs  from  over  the 
blue  sea." 

Kief,  Constantinople,  and  Jerusalem  all  meet  and 
mingle  in  the  Songs,  and  lands  even  further,  from 
Normandy  to  China.  Fine  Arabian  bronze  "  more 
precious  than  gold  "  (as  it  is  also  called  in  the  Old 

ix 


INTRODUCTORY   NOTE 

Testament),  silk  of  Samarcand,  Saracen  helmets 
and  chain-armour  appear  alongside  of  the  fabrics 
and  implements  of  the  West.  The  scarlet  ships  of 
the  heroes,  like  the  vermilion-prowed  galleys  of  the 
Odyssey,  sail  wide  across  perilous  seas.  The  picture 
of  the  gorgeous  East  in  the  Song  of  Diuk  Stepa- 
novitch  has  all  the  splendour  of  the  Arabian 
Nights.  But  what  we  feel  throughout  the  Songs 
is  the  way  in  which  this  wealth  of  material  has  been 
fused  by  the  Russian  genius  and  moulded  into  its 
national  forms.  In  the  crystal  casket  of  Svyatogor, 
in  the  wiles  of  the  Tzaritza  Solomonida,  we  recog- 
nize the  Thousand  and  One  Nights  and  the  Talmud, 
but  both  have  become  Russianized,  and  have  sprung 
to  new  life  in  the  process.  The  forms  and  motives 
of  romance  have  taken  here  a  fresh  and  living 
embodiment.  There  are  princesses  who  look  out 
of  lattices ;  kings  who,  like  Arthur  at  Caerleon  or 
Camelot,  hold  high  feast  at  Easter  in  their  palaces ; 
and  such  warrior-maidens  as  reappear,  long  after, 
in  the  adorable  figure  of  Bradamante.  The  palace 
built  in  a  night  for  the  Princess  Love  by  Nightingale 
Budimirovitch  has  a  sun  and  moon  under  its  golden 
domes.  Heroes  meet  on  the  steppe  with  a  back- 
ground of  infinite  solitary  landscape ;  at  cross- 
roads in  the  wilderness  there  is  a  white  burning- 
stone,  and  a  writing  thereon.  The  figures  of  youths 
and  maidens  on  the  clasps  of  Churilo's  cloak,  that 
pour  green  wine  or  pluck  their  little  harps  when  he 
fingers  clasp  or  loop,  are  a  sort  of  allegory  of  the 
magical  power  of  art  not  merely  to  interpret  but 
to  create  life.  When  Svyatogor  cannot  lift  the 
wallet  of  the  Villager's  Son,  though  he  strains  at  it 
until  the  blood  streams  down  his  face,  he  is  told  the 
reason,  "  The  whole  weight  of  the  earth  lieth  there- 
in." This  profound  Russian  mysticism — akin  to 
and  yet  different  from  the  Celtic — shows  itself  most 


INTRODUCTORY   NOTE 

vividly  in  the  strange  and  seemingly  detached  in- 
cident which  (like  passages  in  the  contemporary 
mystical  Romance  of  the  Grail)  records  how  ''  a 
damsel  came  forth  weeping  bitterly,  and  bearing 
in  her  hands  the  book  of  the  Holy  Gospel,"  and 
how  the  mother  aurochs  tells  her  children,  "  That 
was  no  damsel  weeping,  but  the  city-wall  lament- 
ing, for  she  hath  foreseen  ill  fortune  for  Kief." 

But  this  mysticism  is  an  undertone  in  a  pattern 
of  life  which  is  large,  cheerful  and  simple.     In  the 
Songs  there  is  the  clear  lyric  note  of  direct  passion,  as 
in  the  lament  of  Ilya,  Greek  in  its  clarity,  universal 
in  its  human  appeal :  "  O  age,  old  age,  hke  a  raven 
thou   hast   aUghted   on   my  turbulent   head,   and 
youth,  thou  youth,  my  lovely  youth,  thou  hast  flown 
away  like  the  falcon  over  the  open  plain."     There  is 
the  naive  epic  simplicity  of  narrative  and  epithet, 
with  its  famiUar  unfailing  recurrences,  the  enrich- 
ment of  familiar  things  (the  damp  earth,  the  blue 
sea,   the   white   world)  by   touches   no  less   vivid 
because   they  are  customary.     There  is   the    epic 
strength  and  sanity  ;  the  Songs  often  end  on  a  quiet 
note  of  peace  :    "  None  of  these  forty  heroes  and 
one  ever  again  roamed  the  open  plain  seeking  ad- 
ventures, or  stained  their  white  hands  with  blood. 
Wlien  young  Kasyan  Mikailovitch  came  to  his  own 
land,  he  raised  a  church  to  Mikola  of  Mozhaisk,  and 
began  to  pray  constantly  to  God,  and  to  repent  of 
his  sins."     There  is  the  rough  popular  humour  shot 
across  the  tissue  of  romantic  adventure,  breaking 
out  in  pithy  proverbs  like  the  favourite  "Long  is  a 
woman's  hair,  but  short  is  her  wit,"  or  Ilya's  terse 
retort  to  the  bragging  of  Idol,  "  The  priest  of  Rostof 
had  a  cow;    she  ate  and  drank  until  she  burst." 
The  "  green  wine  "  of  the  Songs  is  racy  of  the  soil, 
generous  and  strong. 

For  centuries  these  poems  remained  the  treasure 
xi 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE 

of  the  humble,  of  peasants  and  hunters  and  fisher- 
men, unknoAvn  or  neglected  by  the  rest  of  the  world. 
We  welcome  them  now  as  a  recovered  inheritance. 
In  them  we  pass,  as  Vladimir  and  the  Princess 
Apraxia  passed  at  the  leading  of  Plenko  the  silk- 
merchant,  to  a  richly  patterned  chamber,  to  another 
of  crystal  and  a  third  of  lattice-work,  and  so  to  the 
golden-domed  tower  where  all  is  heavenly  with  svm 
and  moon,  stars  innumerable  and  white  dawns. 
Here  is  God's  plenty,  for  those  who  will  enter  in. 

J.  W.  Mackail. 

October  1915. 


xn 


CONTENTS 


PAGK 

INTRODUCTORY    NOTE  .  .  .  .  .         vir 

PREFACE   .....,.'.      Xvii 
INTRODUCTION  .......       XXi 

THE  ELDER   HEROES 

VOLGA   VSESLAVICir   THE    WIZARD  ...  3 

VOLGA   AND    MIKULA    SELYANINOVICH    THE    VILLA- 
GER'S   SON  .......  7 

HERO    SVYATOGOR        .  .  ,  .  .  .11 

THE  CYCLE  OF  VLADIMH?,  OR  OF  KH^F 

ILYA    OF    MUROM    THE    PEASANT    HERO,    AND    HERO 

SVYATOGOR      ......    17 

QUIET   DUNAI    IVANOVICH    .....  25 

STAVR    GODINOVICH   THE    BOYAR    (nOBLE)       .             .  39 

ILYA    OF   MUROM    AND   NIGHTINGALE    THE    ROBBER  49 

BOLD,  ALYOSHA    THE    POPE's    SON              ...  58 

THE    ONE    AND    FORTY    PILGRIMS                .             .             .  6G 

ILYA   IN   DISGUISE       .  .  .  .  .  .76 

DOBRYNYA   THE    DRAGON-SLAYER,    AND    MARINA    .  81 

xiii 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

IVAN    GODIXOVICII        ......  87 

DOBRYNYA  AND  THE  ADVENTURE  OF  THE  PAVILION         96 
CHURILO    PLENKOVICH,    THE    FOP  .  .  .       100 

ILYA   AND    THE    BOON    COMPANIONS        .  .  .107 

DIUK   STEPANOVICH     .  .  .  .  .  .110 

VASILY   THE    DRUNKAED    AND    TZAR    BATYG  .  .       132 

ILYA    AND    IDOL  .  .  .  .  .  .136 

DOBRYNYA    AND    THE    DRAGON      .  .  .  .140 

IVAN    THE    merchant's    SON   AND    HIS    HORSE  .       151 

ILYA    OF   MUROM    AND    FALCON    THE    HUNTER  .        155 

SWEET    MIKAILO    IVANOVICH    THE    ROVER        .  .        161 

NIGHTINGALE    BUDIMIROVICH    THE    SAIJ-OR    HERO  .       175 
DANILO    THE    HUNTSMAN    AND    HIS    WIFE  .  .182 

ILYA  AND   THE  ADVENTURE   OF  THE   THREE    ROADS       187 
DOBRYNYA   AND   ALYOSHA  .  .  .  .  .193 

ILYA    OF   MUROM   AND    TZAR   KALIN        .  .  .       206 

TZAR    SOLOMON    AND    TZARITZA    SOLOMONIDA  .       216 


THE   CYCLE   OF  NOVGOROD 

VASILY    BUSLAEVICH    THE    BRAVE    OF   NOVGOROD   .       227 
MERCHANT  SADKO   THE  RICH  GUEST  OF  NOVGOROD       242 


APPENDIX 


THE    ALATYR    STONE    . 
VOLGA    VSESLAVICH      . 


255 
257 


XIV 


CONTENTS 

VOLGA   AND    MIKULA  . 

SVYATOGOR  .... 

ILYA    OF    MUROM 

THE    FAIR    SUN    PRINCE    VLADIMIR 

QUIET    DUNAI    IVANOVICH    . 

STAVR   GODINOVICH     . 

BOLD    ALYOSHA    POPOVICII  . 

DOBRYNYA    THE    DRAGON-SLAYER 

IVAN    GODINOVICH 

CIIURILO    PLENKOVICH 

DIUK    STEPANOVICH     . 

VASILY    THE    DRUNKARD    AND    TZAR    BATYG 

SWEET    MIKAILO    IVANOVICH    THE    ROVER 

NIGHTINGALE    BUDIMIROVICII 

TZAR   SOLOMON    AND    TZARITZA    SOLOMONIDA 

VASILY    BUSLAEVICH  ..... 

MERCHANT  SADKO  THE  RICH  GUEST  OF  NOVGOROD 


I'AGfi 

259 
261 
26.3 

267 
268 
269 
270 
272 
274 
275 
276 
277 
278 
279 
280 
281 
281 


XV 


PREFACE 

Thorough  study  of  the  epic  poems  of  Russia 
(bylinas),  as  of  other  branches  of  folk-lore,  is  not 
to  be  thought  of  at  the  present  day  without  the 
aid  of  the  comparative  method,  which  must  begin 
in  the  circle  of  the  other  Slavic  literatures,  Bulgarian, 
Servian,  etc. 

It  has  not  seemed  to  me  advisable  to  enter  upon 
so  vast  a  subject  in  this  volume,  which  is  intended 
for  popular  reading.  I  hope  that  the  brief  notes 
in  the  Appendix  will  suffice  to  give  a  general  idea 
of  the  historical  foundation  of  the  bylinas,  and  of 
the  relationship  which  exists  between  them  and 
the  epic  poems  of  other  nations. 

As  it  is  extremely  improbable  that  a  complete 
translation  of  these  Songs  will  ever  be  published,  a 
word  of  explanation  is  necessary  with  regard  to 
the  method  I  have  pursued. — Of  each  Song  many 
versions  exist,  varying  in  number  from  three  to 
three  dozen  or  more.  Some  of  these,  though  mere 
fragments,  contain  important  facts.  Others  are 
rendered  inordinately  long  by  the  repetition  of 
speeches,  the  multiplication  of  details,  or  the  inter- 
polation of  passages  from  other  songs.  In  very 
few  instances  is  the  story  complete;  and  when 
complete,  many  characteristic  details  are  lacking. 
Literal  rendering  of  such  a  vast  and  puzzling  mass 
of  poems,  which  are  numbered  by  the  hundred, 
and  in  their  printed  form  cover  thousands  of 
pages,  is  manifestly  impossible.  Eclecticism  is  the 
b  xvii 


PREFACE 

only  solution  of  the  difficulty,  for  the  descriptive 
method  conveys  no  adequate  idea  of  either  style 
or  story.  I  have  consulted  all  the  variants.  The 
style  I  have  preserved  as  nearly  as  possible,  deem- 
ing the  action  sufficiently  rapid  and  forcible  to 
sustain  the  old-fashioned  language.  I  venture  to 
think  that  the  result  would  satisfy  the  peasant- 
minstrels  themselves. 

I  have  simplified  the  spelling  of  the  proper  names 
as  much  as  possible,  and  of  the  very  few  Russian 
words  employed. 

The  theory  that  the  epic  songs  are  of  purely 
legendary  origin,  and  not  nature  myths,  is  gaining 
ground.  If  this  view  is  accepted,  the  very  slight 
distinction  between  the  Elder  and  the  Younger 
heroes  immediately  disappears.  It  has  seemed 
best,  however,  to  retain  that  division,  since  it  is 
customary  in  Russia  and  necessary  to  the  proper 
understanding  of  any  reference  to  the  subject. 
The  mythological  explanation  will  be  found  inter- 
esting from  its  ingenuity,  whichever  view  may 
eventually  prevail. 

For  the  hylinas  I  am  indebted  to  the  Collections 
of  Kirsha  Danilef,  Sakarof,  Rybnikof,  Kiryeevsky, 
Bezonof,  Hilferding,  and  the  Ethnographical  Bul- 
letin of  the  Natural  History  Society  of  Moscow 
University ;  for  my  notes,  to  works  on  these  Songs 
by  Orest  Miller,  Schepping,  Maikof,  Buslaef, 
Galakof,  and  other  recognized  Russian  authorities. 

Isabel  Florence  Hapgood. 

1885-1915. 


xvni 


THE    EPIC    SONGS    OF    RUSSIA 


INTRODUCTION 

The  highest  stage  of  development  reached  by 
popular  song  is  the  heroic  epos— the  rhythmic 
story  of  the  deeds  of  national  heroes  either  his- 
torical or  mythical.  In  many  countries  these  epics 
were  committed  to  writing  at  a  very  early  date. 
In  Western  Europe  this  took  place  in  the  Middle 
Ages,  and  they  are  known  to  the  modern  world  in 
that  form  only,  their  memory  having  completely 
died  out  among  the  people. 

To  this  rule  there  are  two  striking  exceptions.  At 
the  beginning  of  the  present  century  the  old  heroic 
songs  were  sung  in  the  Faroe  Islands,  and  that  in 
a  much  more  antique  form  than  is  preserved  in 
the  later,  Middle  Age  versions.  .The  second  excep- 
tion IS  still  more  remarkable.  (Russia  presents  the 
phenomenon  of  a  country  where  epic  song,  handed 
down  wholly  by  oral  tradition  for  nearly  a  thou- 
sand yearsjis  not  only  flourishing  at  the  present 
tlay  in  certain  districts,  but  even  extending  into 
fresh  fields. 

Amid^  the  vast  swamps  and  forests  of  Northern 
Russiai^gie  byUnas}  are  sung  to-day  by  scores  of 
})casant^  men  and  women,  old  and  young,  to 
whom  they  have  descended  through  countless 
generations  of  ancestors,   and  whose  belief  is  as 

\ByUna,  from  byt,  to  be  :  i.  e.  the  story  of  something  which 
has  actually  occurred,  in  contradistinction  to  the  account  of  a 
purely  imaginary  event. 

XX  i 


INTRODUCTION 

implicit  in  the  bogatyrs^  whose  deeds  they  celebrate 
as  was  the  belief  of  the  first  of  those  ancestorO 

It  is  only  within  the  present  century — within 
the  last  twenty-five  years,  in  fact — that  the  dis- 
covery has  been  made  that  Russia  possesses  a 
national  literature  which  is  not  excelled  by  the 
finest  of  Western  Europe. 

About  the  middle  of  the  last  century  Kirsha 
Danilef  made  a  collection  of  songs  among  the  work- 
men at  the  Demidof  mines  in  the  Government  of 
Perm.  It  is  not  known  who  this  Kirsha  Danilef 
was.  An  incomplete  edition  published  from  his 
manuscript  in  1804  created  some  interest  as  a 
curiosity.  In  1818  a  more  complete  edition  was 
issued ;  and  the  attention  of  students  having  been 
directed  to  the  subject,  various  songs  were  written 
down  by  different  persons,  as  occasion  offered.  A 
collection  was  also  published  in  German  at  Leipzig 
in  1819,  which  contained  some  epic  songs  not  since 
found.  It  was  left,  however,  for  Petr  N.  Rybnikof 
to  arouse  general  attention  and  enthusiasm.  In 
1861-2  appeared  the  first  two  volumes  of  his  great 

^  The  etymology  of  bogatyr,  a  hero,  is  uncertain.  Some 
authorities  refer  it  to  a  word  current  among  various  Turko-Mon- 
golian  tribes,  bagadoiir,  batour,  bator,  bagadar,  which  is  applied  to 
a  hero  who  has  thrice  penetrated  first  and  alone  into  the  ranks 
of  the  enemy.  The  title  is  thereafter  affixed  to  his  name.  But 
the  Mongolians  had  borrowed  the  word  from  the  Sanskrit,  where 
it  already  denoted  a  person  endowed  with  good  luck,  a  successful 
person — and  success  constitutes  an  inseparable  attribute  of  all 
heroes.  A  more  purely  Russian  theory  is  that  which  derives  it 
from  bog,  god,  through  the  intermediate  form  bogatyi,  rich,  as  in 
Latin  dives,  rich,  is  immediately  related  to  diviis,  godlike,  i.  e. 
endowed  with  an  abundance  of  wonderful  powers  and  gifts.  In 
Little  Russia,  bogatyr  is  still  used  to  denote  a  rich  man,  and  some- 
times a  hero.  In  the  ancient  Chronicles,  the  heroes  do  not  bear 
the  name  of  bogatyr s  until  1240,  but  are  called  ryezvetzy,  bold, 
daring  men,  or  udaltzy,  braves,  the  title  still  applied  to  the  heroes 
of  the  Novgorod  cycle. 

xxii 


INTRODUCTION 

collection  made  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Onega.  They 
were  greeted  with  so  much  amazement  and  even 
incredulity,  that  Rybnikof  appended  to  his  third 
volume  a  detailed  account  of  his  journeyings  and 
of  the  peasants  from  whose  lips  he  had  written 
down  his  songs.  The  publication  of  these  songs 
marked  an  epoch  in  the  literature  of  Russia. 

Petr  N.  Rybnikof  was  a  government  official  who 
was  stationed  at  Petrzavodsk,  on  the  western  shore 
of  Lake  Onega.  Conversing  in  1859  with  some  of 
the  older  inhabitants  of  the  town,  he  learned  that 
many  curious  and  ancient  customs,  traditions  and 
songs  were  preserved  among  the  villagers  of  the 
Olonetz  Government.  In  confirmation  of  the 
statement  he  was  referred  to  two  poems  which  had 
been  published  in  the  government  journals.  In 
the  course  of  that  year  he  succeeded  in  obtaining 
some  manuscript  songs,  which  had  been  written 
down  at  the  dictation  of  a  peasant  tailor  known 
as  "  The  Bottle."  He  then  set  to  work  to  collect 
monuments  of  popular  poetry,  but  at  first  found 
only  historical  and  spiritual  songs  and  laments. 

In  1860  he  was  ordered  to  collect  certain  statistics, 
and  this  afforded  him  an  opportunity  to  pursue 
his  search  among  the  people  themselves.  At 
Shungsk  Fair  he  succeeded,  with  the  aid  of  the 
police,  in  finding  a  couple  of  kalyeky  or  psalm- 
singers,  and  persuaded  them  to  sing  all  they  knew. 
As  very  few  of  these  kalyeky  sing  "  worldly  songs," 
i.  e.  hylinas,  his  hopes  were  again  frustrated.  He 
continued  to  hear  much  of  "  The  Bottle,"  who  in 
the  pursuit  of  his  calling  roamed  over  the  whole 
of  the  trans-Onega  region.  But  although,  in 
search  of  him,  Rybnikof  made  two  journeys  across 
Lake  Onega  on  the  ice  in  severe  winter  weather,  and 
one  in  summer  in  a  leaky  boat,  it  was  not  until 
1863  that  he  succeeded  in  finding  him.  Before 
xxiii 


INTRODUCTION 

this,  however,  he  had  heard  many  an  epic  song 
from  other  singers. 

Knowing  the  distrust  with  which  an  official  in- 
spires the  peasants,  he  dressed  himself  like  a  man 
of  the  people,  and  took  passage  on  a  market-boat 
returning  to  Pudoga,  where  "  The  Bottle  "  lived. 
Though  it  was  May,  the  ice  was  not  out  of  the  lake, 
and  it  was  bitterly  cold.  Contrary  winds  forced 
them  to  put  in  at  an  island  covered  with  woods 
and  sw^amps,  only  twelve  versts  from  their  starting- 
place,  after  having  laboured  at  the  oars  all  night. 
The  dirty  hut  of  refuge  was  already  crowded 
with  peasants,  weather-bound  like  themselves,  so 
Rybnikof  made  himself  some  tea  by  a  fire  which 
was  burning  in  the  open  air,  and  lay  down  on  the 
ground  to  sleep.  He  was  awakened  by  strange 
sounds.  About  three  paces  from  him  sat  a  group 
of  peasants  and  an  old  man  with  a  great  white 
beard,  bright  eyes,  and  a  kindly  expression  of 
countenance.  From  the  old  man's  lips  flowed  a 
wondrous  song,  unlike  any  which  Rybnikof  had 
ever  heard,  lively,  fantastic,  gay,  growing  now 
more  brisk,  again  breaking  off  suddenly,  and  sug- 
gesting in  style  something  very  ancient  and  long 
forgotten  by  living  men.  That  song  finished,  the 
old  man  began  another — the  famous  lay  of  Sadko 
the  Merchant  of  Novgorod.  Thoroughly  aroused 
now,  Rybnikof  knew  that  this  was  his  long-sought 
epic.  Many  a  one  did  he  thereafter  listen  to,  sung 
by  rhapsodists  with  fine  voices  and  masterly  diction, 
but  none  of  them  ever  produced  upon  him  the 
fresh  and  overwhelming  impression  made  by  old 
Leonty  Bogdanovich  with  his  poor,  cracked  voice 
and  imperfect  versions. 

Thanks  to  Bogdanovich,  Rybnikof  was  enabled 
to  find  a  great  number  of  singers,  and  to  overcome 
their  habitual  distrust  of  chinovniks  (officials)  suffi- 

xxiv 


INTRODUCTION 

ciently  to  induce  them  to  sing  all  the  songs  they 
knew.  In  this  manner  he  succeeded  in  collecting 
over  50,000  verses.  But  this  collection  was  far 
from  exhausting  the  rich  hoards  of  epic  poetry 
treasured  up  in  the  region  about  Lake  Onega.  In 
1870  Alexander  F.  Hilferding,  impelled  by  a  desire 
to  see  something  of  the  peasantry  and  to  hear  some 
of  the  remarkable  rhapsodists  described  by  Ryb- 
nikof,  undertook  a  journey  to  certain  districts 
recommended  by  the  latter.  But  he  did  not  pause 
there ;  penetrating  to  the  North  and  East  of  the 
Olonetz  Government,  he  found,  apparently,  the 
very  home  of  epic  poetry  in  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury. In  less  than  two  months  he  had  made  a 
collection  of  hylinas  even  larger  than  Rybnikof's, 
containing  318  songs. 

The  region  is  but  little  known,  and  a  condition 
of  thmgs  prevails  which  cannot  differ  much  from 
that  of  epic  days.     The  peasants  on  the  borders 
of  Lake  Onega  have  a  comparatively  enviable  lot. 
They  have  intercourse  with  St.   Petersburg,   and 
are    not    entirely    cut    off   from   the    world.     But 
further  to  the  North  and  East,  in  Kenozero,  Vygo- 
zero  and  Vadlozero,  the  peasant's  lot  is  hard  ni- 
deed.    There  lie  forests,  swamps,  and  again  forests. 
The  only  means   of  communication  between  the 
hamlets  which  dot  this  vast  wilderness  is  afforded 
by  the  scattered  lakes.     There  are  no  carts— they 
cannot  be  used  on  the  marshy  roads ;    sledges  are 
employed  even  in  summer,  or  voloki~\o\\g  poles 
one  end  of   which  is  fastened  to  the  horse-collar,' 
while  the  other  end,  with  board  attached  to  bear 
the  load,  drags  on  the  ground.     Where  water  com- 
munication is  lacking,   the  peasant   must  go   on 
horseback,  making  his  own  path  through  the  dense 
forest.     The  cultivation,  with  great  labour,  of  tiny 
clearings  m  the  forest,  and  fishing  in  autumn,^form 

XXV 


INTRODUCTION 

the  only  means  of  livelihood,  so  that  all  are  obliged 
to  add  some  trade — hunting  wild  animals,  teaming 
to  the  White  Sea  in  winter,  and  so  forth.  The 
women  and  girls  work  equally  hard,  and  the 
peasant  is  happy  if,  by  their  united  labours,  they 
manage  to  escape  starvation.  Oats  prepared  in 
various  ways  form  the  chief  article  of  food,  for  they 
cannot  raise  either  cabbages,  onions,  cucumbers 
or  buckwheat. 

"  The  condition  of  things  is  growing  worse,"  says 
Hilferding  in  1870.  Some  bureaucrat  took  it  into 
his  head  that  the  interests  of  the  Treasury  de- 
manded the  preservation  of  the  Northern  forests; 
consequently,  the  peasants  were  forbidden  to  make 
their  little  clearings,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  they 
used  only  the  land  which  was  covered  by  a  stunted 
growth  of  birches  and  alders,  and  did  not  touch  the 
valuable  wood,  for  the  simple  reason  that  the  soil 
on  which  grow  pines  and  larches  is  not  fit  for  crops. 

This  prohibition  has  had  the  curious  effect,  in 
one  district,  of  introducing  epic  songs  where  they 
had  not  been  previously  known.  Agriculture  is 
not  favourable  to  the  preservation  of  epic  poetry, 
the  singers  coming  almost  entirely  from  the  ranks 
of  the  tailors,  shoeinakers  and  net-makers.  When, 
therefore,  this  community  was  forced  to  abandon 
agriculture,  it  took  to  making  fine  nets — and  to 
leasiiing  epic  songs. 

|Two  of  the  causes  which  have  aided  in  the  pre- 
servation of  epic  poetry  in  these  remote  districts, 
long  after  its  disappearance  from  other  parts  of 
Russia,  are  liberty  and  loneliness.  These  people 
have  never  been  subjected  to  the  oppressions  of 
serfdom,  and  have  never  lost  the  ideal  of  free  power 
celebrated  in  the  ancient  rhapsodies.  In  these 
forest  fastnesses  they  have  never  felt  the  influences 
of  change— conditions   remain   as  in   epic    times. 

xxvi 


INTRODUCTION 

Even  education  has  hardly  left  a  trace.  A  man 
who  can  read  and  write  is  very  rare.^  Faith  in 
antiquity  and  marvels  is  thus  preserved.  All  the 
singers  and  most  of  their  hearers  believe  implicitly 
in  the  bylinas,  for  when  doubt  enters,  epic  poetry 
dies.  When  Hilferding  made  the  minstrels  repeat 
slowly  and  with  pauses,  in  order  to  enable  him  to 
write  down  their  songs,  they  and  the  peasants 
present  would  interpolate  remarks  which  showed 
their  entire  faith  in  the  incidents  narrated.  If, 
as  sometimes  happened,  a  slight  doubt  was  ex- 
pressed as  to  whether  a  hero  could  wield  a  club  of 
sixteen  hundred  pounds  (forty  poods),  or  annihilate 
forty  thousand  men  with  his  own  hand,  the  rhap- 
sodists  explained  matters  very  simply  :  "  People 
w^e  not  at  all  then  as  they  are  now." 
I^J^he  singing  of  the  poems  is  not  now  a  profession, 
as  it  was  in  ancient  Greece,  in  Europe  during  the 
Middle  Ages,  and  as  it  is  in  Little  Russia  at  the 
present  day,  where  the  Kohzars  still  exist.  It  has 
remained  a  domestic  diversion  for  people  whose 
voices^and  memories  permit  them  to  learn  the  old 
songs.] 

The  singing  of  religious  songs  or  stiks  is  of  a  pro- 
fessional character,  however,  and  the  kalyeky  pere- 
kozhie,  or  wandering-psalm-singers,  mostly  blind 
men  or  cripples,  use  it  as  a  means  of  livelihood. 

That  there  were  professional  minstrels  in  Russia 
in  the  Middle  Ages  there  can  be  no  doubt.  The 
Chronicles  mention  them  at  the  Court  of  Saint 
Vladimir's  grandson.  The  Church  also  denounced 
skomoroki  (buffoons),  fiddlers  and  players,  and  the 
singing  of  devilish  {i.  e.  worldly)  songs,  before  the 
Tatar  conquest.  If,  as  is  probable,  these  "  devilish 
songs  "  included  the  epic  songs,  we  may  assume 

1  Out  of  seventy  singers,  Hilferding  found  only  four  or  five 
who  could  read  and  write. 

xxvii 


INTRODUCTION 

that  they  were  not  originally  composed  for  the 
common  people,  but  were  sung  before  the  higher 
classes  and  the  royal  body-guard.  The  manner  in 
which  the  exploits  of  the  guard  are  magnified  and 
those  of  the  Prince  belittled  would  seem  to  indicate 
that  these  songs  were  pre-eminently  an  entertain- 
ment for  the  body-guard.  The  minstrels  also 
exercised  their  art  before  the  Prince — if  we  can 
trust  the  evidence  of  the  poems  themselves.^ 

However  this  may  be,  the  present  minstrels  all 
belong  to  the  peasant  class,  and  are  nearly  all  well- 
to-do,  as  talent  for  practical  affairs  seems  to  accom- 
pany a  taste  for  epic  poetry.  Many  of  them  would 
accept  nothing  from  Rybnikof  and  Hilferding; 
and  when  the  former  offered  a  kerchief  to  the 
daughter  of  Ryabinin,  one  of  the  best  singers,  the 
minstrel  at  once  presented  an  embroidered  towel, 
saying  that  it  was  customary  for  friends  to  exchange 
gifts  at  parting.  As  an  instance  of  the  esteem  in 
which  hylina  singing  is  regarded  by  the  peasants, 
it  is  related  of  this  Ryabinin  that  his  comrades 
would  take  turns  in  doing  his  share  of  the  work  on 
the  fishing-boat,  on  condition  that  he  should  sing 
to  them.  The  aged  bard  also,  from  whom  many 
of  the  present  generation  learned  their  songs,  was 
in  the  habit  of  saying  when  asked  to  sing  :  "  Give 
me  a  poltina  (half  a  rouble),  and  I  will  sing  you  a 
bylina."  The  half  rouble  was  always  forthcoming ; 
but  he  was  a  very  fine  singer  and  the  only  one  who 
demanded  anything  from  his  fellows. 

So  long  as  schools  and  trade  do  not  penetrate  to 
this  secluded  region,  there  is  no  danger  of  epic 
poetry  dying  out.  Memory  is  the  chief  factor ; 
creative  power,  which  undoubtedly  exists  (though 
it  is  supposed  to  have  become  extinct  after  Peter 
the  Great's  day),  does  not  come  into  play.  As  a 
^  See  "  Stavr  Godinovich,"  and  "  Dobrynya  and  Alyosha." 
xxviii 


INTRODUCTION 

man  has  received  his  song,  so  he  sings  it,  with  all 
the  obsolete  words,  sometimes  quite  unintelligible. 
If  asked  the  definitions  of  these  words,  he  will 
answer  simply,  "  It  is  always  sung  so,"  unless 
the  words  chance  to  be  included  in  his  provincial 
vocabulary.  In  this  manner  have  been  preserved 
details  of  nature  on  the  Dnyepr — ^the  "  plume 
grass,"  the  "  open  plain,"  the  "  aurochs  "  (now 
extinct),  of  which  the  North  Russian  peasant  knows 
nothing  whatever.  Yet  not  a  few  local  touches 
are  introduced; — ^the  mossy  marshes  and  little 
lakes  over  which  the  hero  gallops  and  picks  his 
way,  the  fitting  out  of  ships  and  the  saddling  of 
horses,  all  details  dear  and  familiar  to  these  lake- 
dwellers,  are  enlarged  upon. 

One  of  the  most  striking  results  of  local  influence 
is  seen  in  the  preservation  of  the  polyanitza.  This 
has  become  so  foreign  an  idea  in  the  rest  of  Russia 
that  when  Rybnikof's  first  volume  was  published 
even  the  savants  did  not  know  the  meaning  of  the 
word.  It  was  defined  as  a  "  bold  fellow  who 
gallops  about  seeking  adventures  " ;  and  even 
Dahl  in  his  great  dictionary  gives  it  as  "  a  band  of 
desperadoes  or  robbers."  But  any  peasant  in 
North-eastern  Olonetz  will  explain  that  in  ancient 
times  heroic  deeds  were  performed  indifferently 
by  men  and  women,  the  men  being  called  bogatyrs 
and  the  women  polyanitzas. 

Fine  or  poor,  all  the  rhapsodists  preserve  the 
distinct  characters  in  their  songs  perfectly.  Never 
once  does  Vladimir  depart  from  the  role  assigned 
him,  of  a  good-natured,  but  not  always  just,  ruler; 
Dobrynya  is  always  courteous,  Alyosha  bold  and 
cunning,  Churilo  foppish.  Thus  the  story  is  always 
preserved  intact.  But  in  spite  of  the  singers' 
assertions  that  they  sing  things  exactly  as  they 
have  learned  them,  two  men  who  sing  the  same 

xxix 


INTRODUCTION 

poem,  which  they  have  learned  from  the  same 
person,  will  tinge  it  with  their  own  distinct  personal- 
ities to  a  marked  degree.  Thus,  with  some  singers, 
the  heroes  are  distinguished  for  their  piety ;  other 
singers  tone  down  the  fiercest  speeches  in  accordance 
with  their  own  mild  dispositions.  Some  render 
their  songs  inordinately  long — two  or  three  hours 
— by  the  multiplication  of  details  and  the  repetition 
of  whole  passages,  in  true  epic  fashion.  Yet  with 
all  these  modifications,  which  render  these  ancient 
songs  almost  as  much  a  living  product  of  the  nine- 
teenth century  as  of  the  tenth,  each  song  possesses 
as  distinct  a  character  as  any  of  the  epic  lays  which 
crystallized  into  a  literary  form  in  the  Middle  Ages 
and  faded  out  of  the  memories  of  the  people. 

A  regular  tonic  versification  forms  one  indis- 
pensable property  of  these  epic  poems  ;  irregularity 
of  versification  is  a  sign  of  decay,  and  a  complete 
absence  of  measure  the  last  stage  of  decay.  The 
common  measure  of  the  hylina  is  trochaic  with  a 
dactylic  ending,  of  five  or  six  feet,  which  with 
characteristic  elasticity  can  be  lengthened  to  seven 
or  contracted  to  four.  A  longer  or  shorter  measure 
than  these  is  an  evidence  of  decay.  The  measure 
varies  with  the  subject  to  some  extent.  For 
example,  Ryabinin  sang  the  lay  of  Stavr  in  trochaic 
measure  with  a  dactyl,  Mikailo  Rover  in  pure 
trochaic,  and  Volga  and  Mikula  in  anapaests. 

The  airs  to  which  they  are  sung,  or  chanted,  are 
very  simple,  consisting  of  but  few  tones,  yet  ex- 
tremely difficult  to  note  down.  Each  singer  has  an 
air  of  his  own  (perhaps  two),  to  which  he  sings  all 
the  songs  in  his  repertory,  modifying  it  according 
to  the  subject  and  sentiment,  with  the  greatest 
skill.  Rybnikof  and  Hilferding  often  dropped 
their  pens  and  listened  in  amazement  and  admira- 
tion to  the  skill  of  these  untutored  minstrels. 

XXX 


INTRODUCTION 

It  is  interesting  to  trace  the  different  stages  of 
dcc^Y  in  an  epic  poem  ending  in  the  skazka  (tale). 

(jQie  epic  poem  has  strictly  defined  characteris- 
tics; names  historical  or  pseudo-historical  are 
given  to  places  and  persons,  the  style  is  determined, 
the  rhythm  fixed  within  certain  limits.  A  weak- 
ening of  these  characteristics  makes  of  the  epic  a 
pobyvalchina  or  starina  (old  tale) ;  further  deterior- 
ation brings  it  to  the  class  of  kazacheskiya  (Kazak 
songs) ;  next  comes  the  class  of  the  molodyetzkiya 
(young  men's  songs),  then  the  hezimyaniniya 
(nameless  songs),  then  the  skazka  or  prose  tale. 
At  each  step  of  this  descending  scale,  it  loses  more 
and  more  of  the  definiteness  of  time  and  place  as 
well  as  the  names  of  the  actors,  until  in  the  skazka 
all  definite  rules  of  construction,  all  indications  of 
distinct  locality,  vanish. 

The  epic  songs  proper  are  broadly  divisible  into 
three  groups  :  the  cycle  of  Vladimir  or  Kief,  that 
of  Novgorod,  and  that  of  Moscow,  preceded  by 
three  songs  of  the  Elder  Heroes.  With  regard  to 
the  first  two,  and  the  Kief  cycle  in  particular, 
authorities  on  the  origin  of  Russian  literature  differ 
widely.  One  writer  endeavours  to  prove  that  the 
Russians,  while  preserving  the  traditions  common 
to  all  Aryan  races  in  their  Ceremonial  Songs,  en- 
tirely forgot  the  common  Aryan  stock  of  heroic 
legends.  He  assumes  that  these  legends  came 
back  to  them  much  later  by  appropriation  from 
peoples  of  Turko-Mongolian  race,  who  had  become 
acquainted  with  epic  traditions  through  Buddhism. 
This  theory  is  analogous  to  that  propounded  by  the 
distinguished  Orientalist  Benfey,  with  regard  to 
European  tales.  According  to  this  view,  there  is 
in  Russian  nothing  but  the  crippled  skeleton  of 
foreign  tales,  to  which  have  been  added  a  few 
historical  and  geographical  names  and  psychical 

xxxi 


INTRODUCTION 

traits  furnished  to  various  heroes  by  over-zealous 
students,  who  approached  the  subject  with  pre- 
coneeived  notions. 

I^iat  the  epic  songs  possess  a  family  likeness  to 
the  heroic  legends  of  other  Aryan  races,  is  not 
denied  by  any  one ;  and  this  likeness  is  particularly 
strong  in  the  case  of  the  Rig- Veda,  the  Ramayana, 
the  Edda  and  the  Celtic  epics?\|  But  about  this 
epic  skeleton,  so  to  speak,  a  livnig  body  has  grown 
up  which  is  as  characteristically  national  as  any  of 
those  mentioned.  The  examples  cited  from  Tatar 
and  Mongolian  sources  by  the  author  of  the  theory 
above  referred  to,  are  in  most  cases  extremely 
far-fetched.  His  views  have  been  combated  by  dis- 
tinguished students  of  comparative  mythology,  and 
this  wholesale  appropriation  from  Eastern  myths 
cannot  be  regarded  as  established.  A  comparison 
of  these  epic  songs  with  the  ancient  Chronicles 
shows  that  the  heroes  are  thoroughly  Russian,  and 
that  the  pictures  of  manners  and  customs  which 
they  present  are  valuable  for  their  accuracy. 

The  point  of  departure  for  the  mythologies  of  all 
Aryan  races  must  be  sought  in  the  phenomena  of 
Nature.  These  were  first  personified  as  gods,  and 
when  each  of  these  gods  became  divided  into  two 
or  more  individuals,  according  to  their  various 
attributes,  these  attributes,  now  entirely  inde- 
pendent personages,  were  called  the  sons  and 
grandsons  of  the  gods.  The  localization  of  these 
Nature-myths  began  in  heathen  times.  They 
were  attached  to  various  places,  historical  events 
and  persons.  With  the  introduction  of  Christianity 
this  localization  became  more  decided,  and  the 
ancient  objects  of  worship  were  transformed,  now 
into  heroes,  again  into  house  demons  or  sorcerers, 
and  fell  under  the  ban  as  evil  spirits  or  were  merged 
with  the  new  saints. 

xxxii 


INTRODUCTION 

(Prince  Vladimir  Svyatoslavich  introduced  Chris- 
tiahity  into  Russia  in  988.  It  was  not  only 
established  as  the  State  religion,  but  the  people,  at 
Vladimir's  command,  accepted  the  new  faith, 
permitted  their  idols  to  be  destroyed  and  them- 
selves to  be  baptized  by  thousands  forthwith. 
Though  they  had  idols  representing  the  powers  of 
Nature  which  they  worshipped,  there  were  neither 
temples  nor  priests  to  interfere  with  this  summary 
change.  But  their  old  beliefs  could  not  be  so 
readily  set  aside,  and  finding  themselves  thus  pro- 
vided with  two  faiths,  they  solved  the  difficulty 
in  the  most  natural  manner — by  subjecting  their 
heathen  gods  to  baptism  also.  Thus,  for  instance, 
Perun  the  Thunderer  became  Ilya  (Elijah)  the 
Prophet,  the  hero  Ilya  of  Murom  of  the  Songs. 
This  furnishes  the  key  to  the  cycle  of  Vladimir, 
and  shows  how  the  epithet  "  two-faithed,"  often 
applied  to  the  Russian  people  by  their  old  writers, 
was  earned.^ 

Side  by  side  with  the  cycle  of  Vladimir  and  the 
heroes  of  Kief,  and  sung  by  the  same  rhapsodists, 
flourishes  the  Novgorod  cycle,  with  its  Braves 
(udaltzy).  Much  more  restricted  than  either  the 
Kief  or  the  Moscow  cycle,  it  consists  practically  of 
but  two  songs. 

Novgorod  was  one  of  the  greatest  cities  of  the 
North,  a  Slavic  Venice,  long  before  the  other  Russian 
towns  had  emerged  from  obscurity.  It  had  ex- 
tensive commercial  relations  with  Western  Europe 
and  the  Orient,  and  of  this  feature  of  Novgorod 
the  Great,  Sadko  the  Merchant  is  the  epic  represen- 
tative. Of  the  perpetual  war  waged  against  the 
Chouds,  Scandinavians  and  other  tribes,  no  trace 
remains  in  the  songs  which  survive;  but  the 
memory  of  the  civil  war  which  raged  between  the 
patricians  and  the  common  people,  between  the 
c  xxxiii 


INTRODUCTION 

two  quarters  of  the  town  separated  by  the  Volkof, 
is  perpetuated  in  the  song  of  Vasily  Buslaevich. 

This  cycle  is  not  so  rich  in  the  ancient  poetry  of 
the  Elements  as  the  Kief  cycle,  and  compared  with 
that,  it  is  far  more  definite,  practical  and  closer  to 
history. 

In  the  two  cycles  already  considered,  the  heroic 
epos,  the  historical  fate  of  the  people  is  reflected 
in  its  most  salient  features  and  essential  spirit. 
But  there  exist  among  the  people  epic  songs  which 
are  more  justly  entitled  to  the  general  appellation 
bestowed  upon  all  similar  productions,  bylinas — 
records  of  what  has  been.  The  actors  in  these 
songs  are  connected  with  well-defined  epochs,  with 
real  events,  and  not  only  bear  historic  names  like 
the  heroes  of  the  Kief  and  Novgorod  cycles,  but 
frequently  perform  the  feats  assigned  to  them  by 
history. 

Epic  marvels  have  not  wholly  disappeared  from 
these  songs  of  what  is  termed  the  Moscow  or  Im- 
perial cycle,  and  at  times  heroic,  supernatural  feats 
are  narrated,  evidently  copied  from  the  earlier 
cycles.  These  Moscow  songs  are  inferior  in  force, 
and  approach  in  style  the  "  Old  "  or  "  Nameless 
Songs."  The  pre-Tatar  period  is  not  represented, 
and  the  cycle  proper  begins  with  Ivan  the  Terrible ; 
and  ends  with  the  reign  of  Peter  the  Great,  when 
the  power  of  composing  epic  songs  is  supposed  to 
have  disappeared.  Ivan  and  Peter  are  the  most 
prominent  figures.  As  the  period  extending  from 
the  Kief  cycle  to  Ivan  is  not  rich  in  song,  so  likewise 
there  is  a  great  gap  of  a  hundred  years  before  Peter 
the  Great,  in  which  the  songs  are  in  no  way  remark- 
able, notwithstanding  the  many  striking  events 
which  would  seem  to  have  afforded  fitting  subjects 
for  tjie  popular  muse. 
ifTantastic  as  are  some  of  the  adventures  in  these 
^^  xxxiv 


INTRODUCTION 

songs,  there  is  always  a  solid  historical  foundation. 
The  same  process  which  unites  (Saint)  Vladimir 
Svyatoslavich  and  Vladimir  Monomachus  in  one 
person  is  pursued  with  Ivan  the  Terrible.  To 
this  much-married  Tzar  are  attributed  many  deeds 
of  his  grandfather  Ivan  III  (his  father  being 
ignored),  and  other  persons;  and  he  is  always 
represented  in  a  rather  favourable  light.  The  con- 
quest of  Siberia,  the  taking  of  Kazan  and  Astrakhan, 
the  wars  against  Poland,  the  Tatars  of  the  Crimea, 
etc.,  are  the  principal  points  about  which  are 
grouped  the  songs  referring  to  Ivan's  reign. 

Richard  James,  Almoner  to  the  English  Embassy 
to  Moscow  in  1619,  only  fourteen  years  after  the 
brief  reign  of  the  False  Dmitry,  noted  down  many 
of  the  songs  which  were  already  current  upon  that 
event,  and  another  collection  of  contemporary  lays 
was  made  by  Kalaidovich  in  1688.  These  are 
the  first  instances  of  the  Russian  national  songs 
being  reduced  to  writing.  Many  of  those  noted 
by  James  are  reprinted  in  P.  V.  Kiryeevsky's  great 
work  in  six  volumes,  which  is  very  rich  in  songs  of 
the  Moscow  cycle. 

The  epic  Peter  the  Great  bears  but  a  faint  resem- 
blance to  the  historical  Peter.  His  wars  offered 
fine  subjects  for  the  singers,  but  they  incorporated 
many  a  detail  from  the  ancient  myths  of  Dobrynya 
the  Dragon  Slayer  and  Ilya  of  Murom  in  their  songs 
about  the  battle  of  PoltavaJ\ 

The  composition  of  epic  poetry  did  not  entirely 
cease  until  after  the  French  invasion  of  1812; 
though  the  songs  of  that  epoch  are  much  inferior 
to  those  of  the  ancient  days,  are  utterly  devoid 
of  poetry,  and  merit  attention  only  as  curious 
mementoes  of  the  times.  A  more  detailed  account 
of  the  Moscow  cycle  is  unnecessary,  as  it  will  not 
be  represented  in  this  volume.  Its  methods  can  be 
c  *  XXXV 


INTRODUCTION 

observed  in  the  songs  of  the  semi-mythical  epoch, 
where  they  appear  at  their  best.  These  poems  are 
sung  in  the  same  regions  as  those  of  the  first  two 
cycles,  and  also  to  a  greater  extent  than  the  latter 
in  the  central  Governments  of  Tula  and  Saratof. 

In  support  of  the  theory  that  the  poems  of  the 
Vladimir  and  Novgorod  cycles  were  not  original 
creations  but  derived  from  Turko-Mongolian 
sources,  its  advocates  point  to  the  fact  that  in  the 
Government  of  Kief  and  Southern  Russia,  where 
they  should  have  originated  if  of  Russian  composi- 
tion, none  are  now  to  be  heard,  while  in  Siberia 
and  the  Governments  of  Arkhangel,  Simbirsk,  Perm, 
Olonetz  (especially  the  latter),  on  the  Don,  and  at 
the  mouths  of  the  Volga,  they  abound.  This,  they 
claim,  proves  that  the  epic  songs  came  from  the 
wandering  hordes  of  Siberia.  A  more  simple  and 
natural  explanation  of  this  phenomenon  is  furnished 
by  the  history  of  the  Kief  region. 

The  lays  of  Vladimir  were  composed  in  the 
tenth,  eleventh  and  twelfth  centuries.  There 
are  several  reasons  for  assigning  them  to  this 
epoch.  They  all  represent  Russia  as  Christian, 
united  under  the  rule  of  Vladimir,  and  in  con- 
stant (generally  hostile)  contact  with  the  Tatars. 
The  action  is  almost  exclusively  confined  to  Kief 
or  its  environs,  and  among  the  other  towns  men- 
tioned (all  belonging  to  the  Kief  epoch)  Moscow 
is  not  included.  This  confines  them  between  the 
limits  of  988  (when  Christianity  was  introduced 
by  Vladimir  Svyatoslavich)  and  1147,  when  Moscow 
first  appears  in  the  Chronicles,  Yury  the  son  of 
Vladimir  Monomachus  having  built  the  first  houses 
on  the  present  site  of  the  Kremlin.  Most  of  the 
heroes  are,  moreover,  mentioned  in  the  Chronicles, 
and  none  of  them  can  have  lived  later  than  the 
beginning  of  the  thirteenth  century, 
xxxvi 


INTRODUCTION 

Further  proof  is  furnished  by  the  "  Word  of 
Igor's  Expedition "  ^  {Slova  o  plkou  Igorevye), 
Russia's  famous  written  epic  poem  and  the  only 
one  which  was  committed  to  writing  earUer  than 
the  seventeenth  century.  In  1185,  Igor,  Prince 
of  Novgorod-Syeversky,  undertook  a  campaign  of 
retahation  against  the  Polovtzy,  a  nomad  tribe 
of  Turko-Finnish  extraction  hving  on  the  shores 
of  the  Don.  This  poem,  which  is  founded  on  that 
expedition,  bears  internal  evidence  of  having  been 
composed  during  the  lifetime  of  the  principal  actors 
in  the  drama.  It  is  supposed  to  have  been  com- 
mitted to  writing  in  the  fourteenth  or  fifteenth 
century.  The  unknown  author  announces  in  the 
first  lines  his  intention  of  singing  in  the  "  present 
style  " — the  style  of  the  hylinas — "  and  not  in 
that  of  Boyan,"  evidently  a  poet  of  repute  at  that 
time.  This  shows  that  these  songs  were  in  vogue 
as  early  as  1185.  As  the  only  epic  poem  which 
has  been  transmitted  to  us  in  writing,  the  "  Word  " 
is  of  the  greatest  value  and  interest,  but  it  differs 
so  radically  from  the  hylinas  (in  spite  of  the  author's 
intention)  that  it  lies  without  the  scope  of  the 
present  work. 

The  epic  songs  are  the  work  of  the  people  alone ; 
they  present  no  traces  of  individual  character,  their 
heroes  are  more  mythical  than  historical.  The 
"  Word,"  on  the  other  hand,  is  the  work  of  a  poet, 
who  has  succeeded  in  colouring  it  strongly  with  his 
own  personality ;  its  heroes  are  simple  men,  with 
no  trace  of  the  supernatural,  the  event  chronicled 
is  historical,  and  the  poem  forms  an  organic  whole. 
In  the  songs  layers  of  poetry  as  well  as  of  history 

^  The  original  manuscript  discovered  in  1795  was  destroyed 
at  the  burning  of  Moscow  in  1812.  A  MS.  copy  preserved  among 
the  papers  of  Catherine  II,  and  the  text  printed  from  the  original 
in  1800,  alone  survive. 

xxxvii 


INTRODUCTION 

are  discernible,  and  it  has  been  suggested  that  a 
system  of  poetical  palaeontology  might  be  applied 
to  them. 

There  seems  thus  to  be  sufficient  ground  for 
assuming  that  the  songs  of  the  Kief  cycle  (and 
those  of  the  Elder  Heroes)  were  already  in  exist- 
ence when,  in  the  tenth  and  eleventh  centuries, 
Vladimir  and  Yaroslavl  were  founded,  and  the 
great  movement  of  the  South  Russian  population 
towards  the  North  and  the  East  began.  This 
movement  continued  to  increase,  particularly 
during  the  twelfth  century,  when  the  seat  of 
empire  was  removed  to  Vladimir.  It  is  easy 
to  see  how  the  songs  would  be  carried  by  this 
emigrating  population  from  the  South  to  the 
points  which  became  later  the  centre  of  Great 
Russia ;  and  how,  still  later,  the  development  of 
new  needs  and  forms  of  life  in  the  Russia  of  Moscow 
removed  the  Kief  songs  to  the  borders  of  the 
coiiJitry,  together  with  other  relics  of  antiquity. 

I  The  devastation  of  Southern  Russia  by  the 
Tatars  in  the  thirteenth  centvny,  and  the  decay  of 
its  civilization  under  the  Lithuanian  sway  in  the 
fourteenth  and  fifteenth,  obliterated  these  poems 
from  popular  memory.  When,  in  the  sixteenth 
century,  the  population  of  Southern  Russia  organ- 
ized itself  anew  in  the  forms  of  the  Kazak  com- 
munes, it  fabricated  for  itself  a  fresh  cycle  of 
epic  legends,  which  finally  replaced  those  of  Kief. 
Thus,  in  Little  Russia,  where  they  originated, 
these  epic  songs  are  sung  no  longer,  though  a 
dim  hint  or  a  name  may  be  found  now  and  then 
in  the  Ceremonial  Songs,  and  the  Kohzars  ^  cele- 
brate the  deed  of  a  new  race  of  Kazak  heroes. 

^  Professional  minstrels  who  accompany  their  songs  on  the 
hobza  or  bandura,  a  twelve -stringed  instrument,  resembling  a 
mandolin  in  shape. 

xxxviii 


INTRODUCTION 

But  in  the  lonely  wildernesses  of  the  North-east, 
where  circumstances  have  called  forth  no  great 
or  warlike  deeds,  the  ancient  paladins  of  Prince 
Vladimir's  court  have  no  rivals,  and  the  emigrants 
have  cherished  the  songs  and  legends  which  recall 
their  fair  Southern  home  of  yore. 

This  progress  of  the  epic  poems  ever  further 
towards  the  North,  recalls  the  famous  migration 
of  the  Norse  epos  to  Iceland,  where  it  was  committed 
to  writing  in  the  Middle  Ages,  affords  a  reasonable 
explanation  of  the  present  home  of  epic  song,  and 
renders  the  Siberian  theory  superflous. 


XXXIX 


THE    ELDER    HEROES 


EPIC  SONGS  OF  RUSSIA 


Volga  Vseslavich  the   Wizard 

THE  red  sun  sank  behind  the  lofty  mountains, 
behind  the  broad  sea,  stars  studded  the 
clear  heavens;  then  Volga  Vseslavich  was 
born  in  Holy  Mother  Russia,  the  son  of  Marfa 
Vseslavievna  and  a  Dragon. 

Mother  Earth  trembled,  the  wild  beasts  fled  to 
the  forests,  the  birds  flew  up  to  the  clouds,  and  the 
fish  in  the  blue  sea  scattered.  At  an  hour  and  a 
half  old,  Volga  spoke  thus  to  his  lady  mother  : 
"  Swathe  me  not  in  cocoon-like  bands,  neither  gird 
me  about  with  silken  bonds.  But  swathe  me, 
mother  mine,  in  strong  steel  mail ;  on  my  head  set 
a  helm  of  gold;  in  my  right  hand  put  a  mace,  a 
heavy  mace  of  lead,  in  weight  three  hundred 
poods."  1 

In  due  course  Lord  Volga  learned  all  wisdom 
and  all  cunning,  and  divers  tongues.  When  he 
attained  to  fifteen  years  ^  he  collected  a  body-guard, 
bold  and  good — thirty  heroes,  save  one;  and  he 
himself  was  the  thirtieth.  To  them  Lord  Volga 
spoke : 

^  A  pood  is  about  forty  pounds. 

-  In  some  versions,  twelve  years,  the  epic  age  of  martial 
maturity. 

3 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

"  Good  and  brave  druzhina  ^  mine  !  listen  to 
your  ataman.^  Weave  snares  of  silk,  spread  them 
on  the  damp  earth,  amid  the  dusky  forest,  and  take 
martens,  foxes,  wild  beasts  and  black  sables  for 
the  space  of  three  days  and  three  nights." 

His  good  body-guard  hearkened  to  their  elder 
brother,  to  their  chief,  and  did  the  thing  com- 
manded :  but  no  single  beast  could  they  take. 
Then  Lord  Volga  transformed  himself  into  a  lion, 
and  trotted  over  the  damp  earth  to  the  gloomy 
forest,  headed  off  the  martens,  foxes,  the  wild 
beasts  and  black  sables,  the  far-leaping  hares  and 
little  ermines,  capturing  as  many  as  he  would. 

Again,  on  a  day,  Lord  Volga  was  in  Kief  town 
with  his  nine  and  twenty  heroes ;  and  he  said  to 
them  : 

"  Good  my  body-guard  !  twine  now  mighty 
cords.  Make  them  fast  to  the  topmost  crests  of 
the  trees  in  the  dark  forest;  and  catch  therewith 
geese,  swans,  clear  falcons,  and  little  birds  of  all 
the  various  sorts.  And  this  ye  shall  do  for  the 
space  of  three  days  and  nights." 

And  when  they  did  so,  and  caught  nothing.  Lord 
Volga  turned  himself  into  an  ostrich-bird,  and 
turned  all  back,  geese,  swans,  clear  falcons  and 
lesser  birds. 

Again  he  ordered  his  good  body-guard  to  take 
axes  of  stout  metal,  and  build  oaken  vessels,  and 
to  knot  silken  nets,  wherewith  to  take  salmon, 
dolphins,  pikes,  flat  fish  and  precious  sturgeons, 
for  three  days  and  as  many  nights.  And  when 
they  could  not,  he  transformed  himself  into  a 
pike,  and  drove  all  the  fishes  back. 

And  being  again  in  Kief  town,  with  his  body- 

^  From  drug,  a  friend ;    a  body-guard  where  all  were  like 
brothers.     See  Appendix :   Volga  Vseslavich. 
^  Hetman,  Kazak  chief. 

4 


VOLGA   VSESLAVICH   THE   WIZARD 

guard,  Lord  Volga  spoke  :  "  Brave  and  good 
druzhina  mine  !  Whom  shall  we  send  to  the 
Turkish  land,  to  learn  the  Tzar's  mind,— what  the 
Tzar  thinketh,  whether  he  meaneth  to  come  against 
Holy  Russia  ?  If  we  send  an  old  man,  there  will  be 
long  to  wait;  if  a  young  one,  he  will  sport  with 
the  maidens,  he  will  divert  himself  with  the  young 
damsels,  and  hold  converse  with  the  old  crones^ 
and  so  also  we  shall  have  long  to  wait.  Plain  is 
it  then  that  Volga  himself  must  go." 

Then  Volga  became  a  little  bird, "and  flew  above 
the  earth,  and  came  speedily  to  the  Turkish  land. 
There  he  alighted  over  against  the  Tzar's  little 
window,  and  listened  to  the  secret  talk  between 
the  Tzar  and  his  Tzaritza. 

"  Ai,  my  Tzaritza,  Pantalovna  !  I  know  what 
I  know.  In  Russia  the  grass  groweth  not  as  of 
yore,  the  flowers  bloom  not  as  of  old;  plainly, 
Volga  is  no  longer  among  the  living." 

To  this  the  Tzaritza  Pantalovna  made  answer  : 
"  And  thou  my  Tzar,  thou  Turkish  Santal  !  the 
grass  still  groweth  as  of  yore  in  Russia,  and  the 
flowers  blossom  as  was  their  wont.  Last  night 
and  in  my  dreams  I  saw  a  little  titmouse  fly  from 
the  East,  and  from  the  West  a  black  raven.  They 
flew  against  each  other  in  the  open  plain,  and 
fought.  The  little  bird  tore  the  black  raven 
asunder,  and  plucked  out  his  feathers,  and  scat- 
tered all  to  the  winds." 

Then  Tzar  Santal  the  Turk  made  answer  :  "  I 
am  minded  to  march  against  Holy  Russia  shortly. 
Nme  cities  will  I  take  and  bestow  upon  my  nine 
sons,  and  for  myself  I  will  fetch  a  rich  furred 
cloak." 

"  Thou  shalt  never  take  nine  cities,"  quoth  Pan- 
talovna, "  for  thy  nine  sons,  nor  shalt  thou  fetch 
for  thyself  a  rich  furred  cloak." 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

"  Thou  old  devil !  "  spake  Tzar  Santal  the  Turk, 
"  thou  hast  but  slept  and  dreamed." 

Therewith  he  smote  her  upon  her  white  face, 
and,  turning,  smote  the  other  cheek,  and  flung  the 
Tzaritza  upon  the  floor  of  brick ;  and  yet  a  second 
time  he  flung  her. 

"  Nay,  but  I  shall  go  to  Holy  Russia  !  "  quoth  he, 
"  and  I  shall  take  nine  cities  for  my  nine  sons,  and  a 
rich  furred  cloak  for  my  own  wearing." 

Then  Lord  Volga  Vseslavich  transformed  him- 
self to  a  little  ermine,  crept  into  the  armoury,  turned 
back  into  a  goodly  youth,  snapped  the  stout  bows, 
broke  the  silken  cords,  all  the  fiery  arrows,  and 
the  locks  upon  the  weapons,  and  drenched  all  the 
powder  in  the  casks.  Again  Lord  Volga  turned 
himself  into  a  gray  wolf,  and  galloped  to  the  stable, 
and  tore  open  the  throats  of  all  the  good  steeds 
therein.  When  that  was  done,  Lord  Volga  flew 
back  to  Kief  town,  to  his  good  body-guard,  in  the 
form  of  a  little  bird. 

"  Let  us  go  now,  my  bold,  good  guards,  to  the 
Turkish  land,"  he  said. 

So  they  rode  thither,  and  took  all  the  Turkish 
host  captive. 

"  Let  us  now  divide  the  prisoners,"  quoth  Lord 
Volga.  What  lot  was  dear,  and  what  was  cheap  ? 
Sharp  swords  were  rated  at  five  roubles,  weapons  of 
damascened  steel  at  six  roubles  :  and  but  one  lot 
was  exceeding  cheap — the  women.  Old  women 
were  valued  at  a  quarter  of  a  kopek,  young  women 
at  half  a  kopek,  and  beauties  at  a  copper  farthing. 


Volga  and   Mikula  Selyaninovich  the 
Villager's   Son  ^ 

COURTEOUS  Prince  Vladimir,  of  royal  Kief 
town,  gave  to  his  beloved  nephew  Volga, 
three  cities,  Kurtzovetz,  Oryekovetz,  and 
a  third,  Krestyanovetz.  For  Volga  had  traversed 
many  lands,  many  hordes ;  he  had  collected  gifts 
in  tribute  from  all  Tzars  and  kings,  and  had  brought 
them  to  glorious  Kief  town,  to  his  uncle,  Prince 
Vladimir.  Much  gold  had  he  collected  and  silver 
and  great  pearls,  and  yet  more  of  Arabian  bronze, 
which  darkeneth  never,  nor  corrodeth,  and  is  more 
precious  than  gold  or  pearls  or  silver. 

Now,  in  those  three  glorious  cities  given  him  by 
his  uncle  Vladimir,  dwelt  stiff-necked  people,  who 
obeyed  no  man,  neither  gave  gifts  nor  tribute  to 
any.  Then  young  Volga  Vseslavich  assembled  his 
good  body-guard,  and  set  out  to  take  possession  of 
his  towns.  As  they  rode  over  the  open  plain,  Volga 
heard  a  husbandman  ploughing.  The  plough 
screamed,  the  share  grated  against  the  stones. 
Volga  rode  in  quest  of  the  husbandman.  A  whole 
day  he  rode  until  evening,  and  heard  the  plough 
grate  ever  through  the  plain ;  but  dark  night  over- 
took him  on  the  way,  and  he  found  not  the  man. 
A  second  day  he  rode  toward  that  husbandman 

^  See  Appendix  for  mythological  signification,  etc. 
7 


EPIC    SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

until  dusk,  and  yet  a  third ;  and  on  the  third  day 
he  came  upon  the  man  driving  his  plough,  and 
easting  the  clods  of  earth  from  side  to  side  of  the 
furrow.  The  husbandman  ploughed  up  damp  oaks, 
stumps  and  great  stones ;  and  his  nightingale 
mare  was  named  "  Raise-her-head ;  "  for  she  could 
lift  it  to  the  clouds.  His  plough  was  of  maple- 
wood,  his  reins  of  silk,  the  share  of  damascened 
steel  with  fittings  of  silver,  and  the  handles  of  pure 
gold.  His  curls  waved  over  his  brows  of  blackest 
sable,  his  eyes  were  falcon  clear ;  his  shoes  were  of 
green  morocco  with  pointed  toes ;  and  under  the 
hollow  of  his  foot,  sparrows  might  fly.  His  hat 
was  downy,  and  his  caftan  was  of  black  velvet. 

Lord  Volga  spoke  these  words  :  "  God  aid  thee, 
husbandman,  in  thy  ploughing  and  tilling  !  " 

"  Art  thou  come,  Volga  Vseslavich,  with  thy 
troop?"  answered  the  husbandman.  "  Ridest 
thou  far,  Volga  ?  Whither  leadeth  thy  course,  with 
thy  good  guard  ?  " 

"I  go  to  take  possession  of  three  towns  which 
courteous  Prince  Vladimir,  my  uncle,  hath  given 
to  me,  Kurtzovetz,  Oryekovetz,  and  Krestyano- 
vetz." 

"  Ho,  Volga  Vseslavich  !  Robbers  dwell  there. 
Two  days  ago  I  was  in  that  town,  bearing  two  sacks 
of  salt,  of  a  hundred  poods  each,  upon  my  night- 
ingale mare,  and  they  demanded  toll ;  and  for  all 
I  gave  them  they  would  still  have  more.  Then  I 
began  to  thrust  them  back  by  thousands;  he  who 
was  standing  is  now  sitting,  he  who  was  sitting 
now  lieth,  and  he  who  then  lay  will  stand  no  more 
for  ever."  ^ 

^  Something  resembling  this  occurs  in  Doon  de  Mayence. 
Doon,  who  has  been  reared  far  from  men,  does  not  even  know 
the  meaning  of  money,  and  when  the  ferryman  demands  toll,  he 
pays  his  way  with  blows. 

8 


VOLGA    AND    MIKULA    SELYANINOVICH 

Then  spoke  Volga  :  "  Husbandman  !  come  thou 
with  me  as  my  comrade." 

The  husbandman  at  that  loosed  the  silken  reins, 
turned  his  mare  from  the  plough  and  mounted  the 
good  steed,  and  they  rode  forth. 

But  the  husbandman  soon  paused  in  thought. 

"  Ho  there,  Volga  !  "  quoth  he;  "I  have  left 
my  plough  in  the  furrow.  Command  now  thy  men 
to  turn  it  from  the  furrow,  scrape  the  soil  from  the 
share,  and  cast  it  into  a  willow  bush,  that  robbers 
find  it  not,  that  none  discover  it  save  those  to 
whom  it  will  yield  service, — my  brother  peasants." 

So  Volga  despatched  five  of  his  mighty  youths, 
and  they  twisted  the  handles  all  about,  but  could 
not  draw  that  plough  of  maple-wood  from  the 
furrow. 

Then  Volga  sent  thither  ten  men,  and  again  his 
whole  body-guard ;  but  the  strength  of  them  all 
was  not  enough  to  loose  the  share,  shake  off  the 
earth  and  toss  it  into  the  willow  bush. 

Then  the  husbandman  rode  up  on  his  nightingale 
mare,  grasped  the  plough  of  maple-wood  with  one 
hand,  shook  the  soil  from  the  share,  tossed  it  to  the 
clouds,  saying  : 

"  Farewell  my  plough  !  Never  more  shall  I  till 
with  thee." 

Then  they  mounted  their  good  steeds  and  rode, 
and  came  to  the  famous  town  of  Kurtzovetz,  to 
Oryekovetz,  and  to  the  little  burgh  of  Krestyano- 
vetz. 

Thereupon  the  common  folk  assembled  in 
throngs  and  gave  them  great  battle.  And  those 
peasants  were  very  cunning  rogues.  They  reared 
a  treacherous  bridge.  But  the  youthful  heroes 
were  yet  more  cunning,  and  first  sent  forward  their 
great  force  upon  that  bridge  of  staffwood.  Then 
the  bridge  broke,  and  all  that  host  fell  into  the  little 

9 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

river,  and  began  to  drown  and  to  be  in  sorry  plight. 
Volga  and  the  husbandman  urged  their  good  steeds 
across  that  little  stream,  the  Volkof,  and  the  brave 
chargers  leaped  it.  Then  they  began  to  do  honour 
to  the  peasants,  to  give  them  due  guerdon  and  to 
lash  them  with  their  whips.  And  when  they  had 
chastised  these  peasants  at  their  good  pleasure,  they 
rode  back  whence  they  came. 

And  the  peasants  began  to  be  submissive  from 
that  hour,  and  to  pay  their  just  tribute. 

The  husbandman  rode  in  front,  and  Volga  es- 
sayed to  overtake  him;  yet  spur  on  as  he  would, 
he  could  barely  keep  in  sight.  Raise-her-head's 
tail  spread  far  abroad,  her  mane  waved  in  the 
breeze,  and  she  went  at  a  walk ;  but  Volga's  horse 
galloped  at  full  speed.  Raise-her-head  paced,  and 
Volga's  steed  was  left  far  behind.  Then  Volga 
waved  his  cap  and  shouted.  When  the  husband- 
man perceived  it,  he  restrained  his  nightingale 
mare,  the  while  Volga  spoke  thus  : 

"  Halt,  thou  husbandman  !  If  that  mare  were 
but  a  stallion,  I  would  give  for  her  five  hundred 
roubles." 

"  Thou  art  but  foolish,  Volga,"  the  husbandman 
made  answer  :  "I  bought  this  mare  as  a  foal  from 
her  mother's  side  for  five  hundred  roubles ;  and  were 
she  a  stallion  she  would  be  priceless." 

"  By  what  name  art  thou  called,  husbandman, 
and  what  is  thy  patronymic  ?  "  asked  Volga. 

"  Now  ho,  thou  Volga  Vseslavich  !  "  the  hus- 
bandman made  answer;  "  I  will  plough  for  rye  and 
stack  it  in  ricks,  I  will  draw  it  home  and  thresh  it, 
brew  beer  and  give  the  peasants  to  drink  : — and 
the  peasants  shall  call  me  Young  Mikula  Selyani- 
novich,  the  Villager's  Son." 


10 


Hero  Svyatogor  ^ 

HERO  SVYATOGOR  saddled  his  good  steed, 
and   made  ready   to   ride   afield.     As   he 
traversed  the  open  plain,  he  found  none 
with  whom  to  measure  the  strength  which  flowed 
so  fiercely  through  his  veins.     Weighed  down  with 
might,  as  with  a  heavy  burden,  he  spoke  : 

"  Would  there  were  a  ring  fixed  in  the  heavens 
-—I  would  drag  them  down  !  If  there  were  but  a 
pillar  firm  set  in  damp  mother  earth,  and  a  ring 
made  fast  thereto,  I  would  raise  the  whole  earth 
and  twist  it  round  !  " 

And  as  he  went  his  way  over  the  wide  steppe, 
he  was  aware  of  a  traveller  there,  and  rode  after 
him,  but  could  by  no  means  overtake  him.  He 
rode  at  a  trot,  and  the  wayfarer  was  ever  before 
him; — at  full  gallop,  and  the  man  still  went  on 
before.     Then  cried  the  hero  : 

"  Ho  there,  thou  wayfarer  !  pause  a  little,  for  I 
cannot  overtake  thee  on  my  good  steed." 

So  the  wayfarer  halted,  took  a  small  pair  of 
pouches  from  his  shoulder  and  cast  them  on  the 
damp  earth. 

"What  hast  thou  in  thy  pouches?"  said 
Svyatogor. 

"  Lift  them  from  the  earth,  and  thou  shalt  see," 
quoth  the  man. 

^  See  Appendix  :  Svyatogor. 
11 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

Then  Svyatogor  sprang  from  his  good  steed,  and 
seized  the  pouches  with  one  hand, — and  could  not 
raise  them.  Then  he  essayed  both  hands; — a 
breath  alone  could  pass  beneath,  but  the  hero  was 
sunk  to  his  knees  in  the  earth,  and  blood,  not 
tears,  streamed  down  his  white  face. 

"What  lieth  in  thy  wallet?"  said  Svyatogor 
then.  "  Lo  !  my  strength  hath  not  begun  to  fail 
me,  yet  I  cannot  lift  this  weight." 

"  The  whole  weight  of  the  earth  lieth  therein," 
the  man  made  answer. 

"And  who  art  thou?  What  art  thou  called, 
and  what  is  thy  patronymic?  " 

"  I  am  Mikulushka  ^  Selyaninovich,  the  Villager's 
Son." 

"  Tell  me  then,  Mikulushka,  inform  me,  how  I 
may  know  the  fate  decreed  by  God?  " 

"  Ride  on  the  straight  way,  until  thou  come  to 
the  fork  of  the  road.  At  the  parting  of  the  way, 
turn  to  thy  left  hand,  send  thy  horse  at  full  speed, 
and  thou  shalt  come  to  the  Northern  Mountains. 
In  those  mountains,  beneath  a  great  tree,  standeth 
a  smithy ;  and  of  the  smith  therein  do  thou  inquire 
thy  fate." 

Then  Svyatogor  rode  three  days  as  he  had  been 
commanded,  and  so  came  to  the  great  tree  and 
the  smithy,  where  stood  the  smith  forging  two  fine 
hairs. 

Quoth  the  hero  :  "  What  forgest  thou,  smith?  " 
The  smith  made  answer  :  "I  forge  the  fates  of 
those  that  shall  wed." 

"  And  whom  shall  I  wed?  " 

"  Thy  bride  is  in  the  kingdom  by  the  sea,  in 
the  royal  city;  thirty  years  hath  she  lain  on  the 
dungheap." 

Then  the  hero  stood  and  thought  :    "  Nay  :    but 
^  Ushka  is  the  diminutive  termination. 
12 


HERO    SVYATOGOR 

I  will  go  to  that  kingdom  by  the  sea,  and  will  slay 
my  bride." 

So  he  went  to  the  royal  city  of  that  kingdom  by 
the  sea,  and  came  to  a  miserable  hut  and  entered. 
No  one  was  there  save  a  maiden  lying  on  the  dung- 
heap  ;  and  her  body  was  like  the  bark  of  fir-trees. 
Svyatogor  drew  forth  five  hundred  roubles,  and  laid 
them  on  the  table,  and  with  his  sharp  sword,  he 
smote  her  on  her  white  breast.  Then  he  departed 
from  that  kingdom,  and  the  maiden  woke  and 
gazed  about  her.  The  fir-bark  fell  from  her  limbs, 
and  she  became  a  beauty  such  as  was  never  seen 
in  all  the  world  nor  heard  of  in  the  white  world. 

On  the  table  lay  the  five  hundred  roubles,  and 
with  this  money  she  began  to  trade.  When  she 
had  accumulated  untold  treasure  of  gold,  she  built 
dark  red  ships,  freighted  them  with  precious  wares 
and  sailed  forth  upon  the  glorious  blue  sea.  And 
when  she  was  come  to  the  great  city,  to  the  Holy 
Mountains,  and  began  to  barter  her  precious  wares, 
the  fame  of  her  beauty  spread  through  all  the 
town  and  kingdom,  and  all  men  came  to  look  upon 
her  and  marvel  at  her  fairness.  Hero  Svyatogor 
came  also  to  gaze  upon  her  beauty — and  loved 
her,  and  began  to  woo  her  for  himself. 

After  they  were  married,  he  perceived  a  scar 
upon  his  wife's  white  bosom,  and  inquired  of  her  : 
"  What  scar  is  that?  " 

And  his  wife  made  answer :  "  An  unknowii 
man  came  to  our  kingdom  by  the  sea,  and  left  five 
hundred  roubles  of  gold  in  our  hut.  When  I  awoke, 
there  was  a  scar  upon  my  bosom,  and  the  fir-bark  had 
fallen  away  from  my  white  body.  For  before  that 
day,  I  had  lain  for  thirty  years  upon  the  dungheap." 

Then  Svyatogor  the  hero  knew  that  none  may 
escape  his  fate,  nor  may  any  flee  upon  his  good 
steed  from  the  judgment  of  God. 

13 


THE    CYCLE    OF   VLADIMIR,    OR 
OF    KIEF 


Ilya  of  Murom  the  Peasant  Hero, 
and   Hero  Svyatogor 

IN  tlie  hamlet  of  Karacharof,  by  Murom  town, 
dwelt  Ilya  ^  the  Old  Kazak.  Thirty  years 
he  sat  upon  the  oven,  having  use  of  neither 
arms  nor  legs, /because  of  his  grandfather's  sin. 

And  when  thirty  years  were  past,  in  summer, 
at  the  time  of  haying,  his  father  and  mother  went 
forth  to  clear  the  forest-girdled  meadows,  and  left 
Ilya  alone  in  the  cottage.  Then  there  came  to  him 
three  wayfarers — Christ  and  two  of  his  apostles, 
in  the  guise  of  poor  brethren,  strolling  psalm- 
singers,  and  besought  him  that  he  would  give 
them  to  drink. 

■■'  Alas  !  ye  wayfarers,  aged  men,  dear  friends  !  " 
said  Ilya;  "  full  gladly  would  I  give  you  to  drink  : 
but  I  cannot  rise,  and  there  is  none  in  the  cottage 
with  me." 

And  the  men  made  answer  :  "  Arise,  and  wash 
thyself;    so  shalt  thou  walk  and  fetch  us  drink." 

Then  he  arose  and  walked;  and  having  filled 
a  cup  with  kvas,2  brought  it  to  the  aged  men. 
They  received  it,  drank,  and  gave  it  again  to  Ilya, 
saying  : 

"  Drink  now  after  us,  Ilya,  son  of  Ivan."     When 

^  For  historical  and  mythological  points,  see  Appendix :  Ilya 
of  Mnrovi. 

^  A  sourish  liquor  made  from  rye-meal. 

c  17 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

he  had  drunk,  the  old  men  said  :  "  How  is  thy 
strength  now,  Ilya?  " 

Ilya  answered  :  "I  thank  you  humbly,  ye  aged 
men.  I  feel  a  very  great  strength  within  me,  so 
that  I  could  even  move  the  earth." 

Then  the  men  looked  each  upon  the  other,  and 
said  :  "  Give  us  to  drink  yet  again."  And  Ilya 
did  so.  And  when  they  had  drunk,  they  gave 
the  cup  to  him  the  second  time,  and  inquired  : 
"  How  is  it  with  thee  now,  Ilya?  " 

"  The  strength  I  feel  is  very  great,"  said  Ilya, 
"  yet  but  as  half  the  former  strength." 

"  Thus  let  it  be,"  spoke  the  men  :  "  for  if  we 
give  thee  more,  mother  earth  will  not  bear  thee 
up."     And  they  said  :    "  Go  forth  now,  Ilya." 

So  Ilya  set  his  cup  upon  the  table,  and  w^nt 
forth  into  the  street  with  all  ease ;  and  the  aged 
men  said  : 

"  God  hath  blessed  thee,  Ilya,  with  this  strength 
of  His.  Therefore,  defend  thou  the  Christian  faith, 
fight  against  all  infidel  hosts,  bold  warriors  and 
daring  heroes,  for  it  is  written  that  death  shall 
not  come  to  thee  in  battle.  Stronger  than  thee 
there  is  none  in  the  white  world,  save  only  Volga, 
(and  he  will  take  thee  not  by  might  but  by  craft), 
and  Svyatogor,  and,  stronger  yet,  beloved  of  damp 
mother  earth,  Mikula  Selyaninovich,  the  Villager's 
Son.  Against  these  three  contend  thou  not.  Live 
not  at  home,^ — labour  not;  but  go  thou  to  royal 
Kief  town."     And  therewith  the  men  vanished. 

Then  Ilya  went  forth  to  his  father,  in  the  clear- 
ing, and  found  him  with  his  wife  and  labourers 
reposing  from  their  toil.  He  grasped  their  axes 
and  began  to  hew;  and  what  his  father  with  the 
labourers  could  not  have  done  in  three  days,  that 
Ilya  achieved  in  the  space  of  one  hour.  Having 
thus  felled  a  whole  field  of  timber,  he  drove  the 

18 


ILYA  AND   HERO   SVYATOGOR 

axes  deep  into  a  stump,  whence  no  man  could 
draw  them. 

When  his  father  with  wife  and  labourers  woke, 
and  beheld  the  axes,  they  marvelled,  saying : 
"Who  hath  done  this?"  Then  came  Ilya  from 
the  forest,  and  drew  the  axes  from  the  stump ; 
and  his  father  gave  thanks  to  God  that  his  son 
should  be  so  famous  a  workman. 

But  Ilya  strode  far  over  the  open  plain;  and 
as  he  went,  he  beheld  a  peasant  leading  a  shaggy 
brown  foal,  the  first  he  had  seen.  What  the 
peasant  demanded  for  the  foal,  that  Ilya  paid. 
For  the  space  of  three  months,  he  tied  the  foal 
in  the  stall,  feeding  it  with  the  finest  white  Turkish 
wheat,  and  watering  it  from  the  pure  spring. 
After  these  months  were  past,  he  bound  the  foal 
for  three  nights  in  the  garden,  anointing  it  with 
three  dews.  When  that  was  done,  he  led  the  foal 
to  the  lofty  paling,  and  the  good  brown  began  to 
leap  from  side  to  side,  and  was  able  to  sustain 
Ilya's  vast  weight;  for  he  had  become  a  heroic 
steed.  All  this  Ilya  did  according  to  the  com- 
mands of  the  aged  psalm-singers  who  had  healed 
him. 

Then  Ilya  saddled  his  good  steed  Cloudfall,  pros- 
trated himself,  and  received  the  farewell  blessing 
of  father  and  mother,  and  rode  forth  far  over  the 
open  plain. 

As  he  rode,  he  came  to  a  pavilion  of  white  linen, 
pitched  under  a  damp  oak;  and  therein  was  a 
heroic  bed,  not  small,  for  the  length  of  the  bed 
was  ten  fathoms,  and  the  breadth  six  fathoms.  So 
he  bound  his  good  steed  to  the  damp  oak,  stretched 
himself  upon  that  heroic  bed  and  fell  asleep.  And 
his  heroic  slumber  was  very  deep ;  three  days  and 
nights  he  slept.  On  the  third  day,  good  Cloudfall 
heard  a  mighty  clamour  toward  the  North.     Damp 

19 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

mother  earth  rocked,  the  dark  forests  staggered, 
the  rivers  overflowed  their  steep  banks.  Then  the 
good  steed  beat  upon  the  earth  with  his  hoof,  but 
could  not  wake  Ilya,  and  he  shouted  with  human 
voice  : 

"  Ho  there,  Ilya  of  Murom !  Thou  sleepest 
there  and  takest  thine  ease,  and  knowest  not  the 
ill  fortune  that  hangeth  over  thee.  Hero  Svya- 
togor  cometh  to  this  his  pavilion.  Loose  me  now, 
in  the  open  plain,  and  climb  thou  upon  the  damp 
oak." 

Then  sprang  Ilya  to  his  nimble  feet,  loosed  his 
horse  and  climbed  into  the  damp  oak. 

And  lo  !  a  hero  approached ;  taller  than  the 
standing  woods  was  he,  and  his  head  rested  upon 
the  flying  clouds.  Upon  his  shoulder  he  bare  a 
casket  of  crystal,  which,  when  he  was  come  to  the 
oak,  he  set  upon  the  ground  and  opened  with  a 
golden  key.  Out  of  it  stepped  his  heroic  wife; 
in  all  the  white  world,  no  such  beauty  was  ever 
seen  or  heard  of ;  lofty  was  her  stature  and  dainty 
her  walk;  her  eyes  were  as  those  of  the  clear 
falcon,  her  brows  of  blackest  sable,  and  her  white 
body  was  beyond  compare. 

When  she  was  come  forth  from  the  crystal 
casket,  she  placed  a  table,  laid  a  fair  cloth  thereon 
and  set  sugar  viands ;  and  from  the  casket,  she 
also  drew  forth  mead  for  drink.  So  the}^  feasted 
and  made  merry.  And  when  Svyatogor  had  well 
eaten,  he  went  into  the  pavilion  and  fell  asleep. 

But  his  fair  heroic  wife  roamed  about  the  open 
plain,  and  so  walking,  espied  Ilya  upon  the  damp 
oak. 

"  Come  down  now,  thou  good  and  stately 
youth,"  she  cried  :  "  descend  from  that  damp 
oak,  else  will  I  waken  Hero  Svyatogor  and  make 
great  complaint  of  thy  discourtesy  to  mc." 

20 


ILYA  AND   HERO   SVYATOGOR 

Ilya  could  not  contend  against  the  woman,  and 
so  slipped  down  from  the  oak  as  she  had  com- 
manded. 

And  after  a  space,  that  fair  heroic  woman  took 
Ilya  and  put  him  in  her  husband's  deep  pocket, 
and  roused  the  hero  from  his  heavy  sleep.  Then 
Svyatogor  put  his  wife  in  the  crystal  casket  again, 
locked  it  with  his  golden  key,  mounted  his  good 
steed,  and  rode  his  way  to  the  Holy  Mountains. 

After  a  little,  his  good  steed  began  to  stumble, 
and  the  hero  U)  beat  him  upon  his  stout  flanks 
with  a  silken  whip.  Then  said  the  horse  in  human 
speech  : 

"  Hitherto  I  have  borne  the  hero  and  his  heroic 
wife;  but  now  I  bear  the  heroic  woman  and  two 
heroes.     Is  it  a  marvel  that  I  stumble?  " 

Thereupon  Hero  Svyatogor  drew  Ilya  from  his 
deep  pocket,  and  began  to  question  him  :— who 
he  was  and  how  he  came  in  the  pocket.  And  Ilya 
told  him  all  the  truth.  When  he  heard  it,  Svya- 
togor slew  his  faithless  heroic  wife;  but  with  Ilya 
he  exchanged  crosses,  and  called  him  his  younger 
brother. 

And  as  they  talked  together,  Ilya  said  :  "  Full 
gladly  would  I  see  Svyatogor  that  great  hero;  but 
he  rideth  not  now  upon  damp  mother  earth,  nor 
appeareth  among  our  company  of  heroes." 

"  I  am  he,"  quoth  Svyatogor.  "  Gladly  would  I 
ride  among  you,  but  damp  mother  earth  would  not 
bear  me  up.  And  furthermore,  I  may  not  ride  in 
Holy  Russia,  but  only  on  the  lofty  hills,  and  steep 
precipices.  Let  us  now  ride  among  the  crags,  and 
come  thou  to  the  Holy  Mountains  with  me." 

Thus  they  rode  long  together,  diverting  them- 
selves ;  and  Svyatogor  taught  Ilya  all  heroic  customs 
and  traditions. 

On  the  way,  Svyatogor  said  to  Ilya  :  "  When  we 
21 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

shall  come  to  my  dwell'ing,  and  I  shall  lead  thee  to 
my  father,  heat  a  bit  of  iron,  but  give  him  not  thy 
hand." 

So  when  they  were  come  to  the  Holy  Moun- 
tains, to  the  palace  of  white  stone,  Svyatogor's  aged 
father  cried  : 

"  Ai,  my  dear  child  !  Hast  thou  been  far 
afield?" 

"  I  have  been  in  Holy  Russia,  father." 

"  What  hast  thou  seen  and  heard  there?  " 

"  Nothing  have  I  seen  or  heard  in  Holy  Russia, 
but  I  have  brought  with  me  thence  a  hero."  The 
old  man  was  blind,  and  so  said  : 

"  Bring  hither  the  Russian  hero,  that  I  may 
greet  him." 

In  the  meanwhile,  Ilya  had  heated  the  bit  of 
iron,  and  when  he  came  to  give  the  old  man  his 
hand  in  greeting,  he  gave  him,  in  place  of  it,  the 
iron.  And  when  the  old  man  grasped  it  in  his 
mighty  hands,  he  said  :  "  Stout  are  thy  hands, 
Ilya  !     A  most  mighty  warrior  art  thou  !  " 

Thereafter,  as  Svyatogor  and  his  younger 
brother  Ilya  journeyed  among  the  Holy  Moun- 
tains, they  found  a  great  coffin  in  the  way;  and 
upon  the  coffin  was  this  writing  :  "  This  coffin 
shall  fit  him  who  is  destined  to  lie  in  it." 

Then  Ilya  essayed  to  lie  in  it,  but  for  him  it  was 
both  too  long  and  too  wide.  But  when  Svyatogor 
lay  in  it,  it  fitted  him.  Then  the  hero  spoke  these 
words  : 

"  The  coffin  was  destined  for  me;  take  the  lid 
now,  Ilya,  and  cover  me,"  Ilya  made  answer  : 
"  I  will  not  take  the  lid,  elder  brother,  neither  will 
I  cover  thee.  Lo  !  this  is  no  small  jest  that  thou 
makest,  preparing  to  entomb  thyself." 

Then  the  hero  himself  took  the  lid,  and  covered 
his  coffin  with  it.     But  when  he  would  have  raised 

23 


^"        ILYA   AND   HERO   SVYATOGOR 

it  again,  he  could  not,  though  he  strove  and 
strained  mightily;  and  he  spoke  to  Ilya  :  "  Ai, 
younger  brother  !  'Tis  plain  my  fate  hath  sought 
me  out.  I  cannot  raise  the  lid ;  do  thou  try  now 
to  lift  it."  -^ 

Then  Ilya  strove,  but  could  not.  Said  Hero 
Svyatogor:  "Take  my  great  battle  sword,  and 
smite  athwart  the  lid."  But  Ilya's  strength  was 
not  enough  to  lift  the  sword,  and  Svyatogor  called 
him  : 

"  Bend  down  to  the  rift  in  the  coffin,  that  I  may 
breathe  upon  thee  with  my  heroic  breath."  When 
Ilya  had  done  this,  he  felt  strength  within  him, 
thrice  as  much  as  before,  lifted  the  great  battle 
sword,  and  smote  athwart  the  lid.  Sparks  flashed 
from  that  blow,  but  where  the  great  brand  struck, 
an  iron  ridge  sprang  forth.  Again  spoke  Svya- 
togor : 

"  I  stifle,  younger  brother  !  essay  yet  one  more 
blow  upon  the  hd,  with  my  huge  sword." 

Then  Ilya  smote  along  the  lid,  and  a  ridge  of 
iron    sprang  forth.     Yet  again  spoke  Svyatogor  : 

"  I  die,  oh,  younger  brother  !  Bend  down  now 
to  the  crevice.  Yet  once  again  will  I  breathe 
upon  thee,  and  give  thee  all  my  vast  strength." 

But  Ilya  made  answer  :  "  My  strength  sufficeth 
me,  elder  brother;  had  I  more,  the  earth  could 
not  bear  me." 

^-ii  "  Thou  hast  done  well,  younger  brother,"  said 
Svyatogor,  "  in  that  thou  hast  not  obeyed  my  last 
behest.  I  should  have  breathed  upon  thee  the 
breath  of  death,  and  thou  wouldst  have  lain  dead 
beside  me.  But  now,  farewell.  Possess  thou  my 
great  battle  sword,  but  bind  my  good  heroic  steed 
to  my  coffin;  none  save  Svyatogor  may  possess 
that  horse." 

Then    a    dying    breath    fluttered    through    the 
23 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

crevice.  Ilya  took  leave  of  Hero  Svyatogor, 
bound  the  good  heroic  steed  to  the  coffin,  girt  the 
great  battle  sword  about  his  waist,  and  rode  forth 
into  the  open  plain. 

And  Svyatogor' s  burning  tears  flow  through  the 
coffin  evermore. 


24. 


Quiet  Dunai  Ivanovich 

QUIET ^  Dunai  Ivanovich  roamed  long  from 
land  to  land,  and  in  his  wanderings,  came  at 
t-^,^  length  to  the  kingdom  of  Lithuania.  Three 
years  did  Dunai  serve  the  King  of  that  land  as 
Equerry,  three  years  as  Grand  Steward,  three  as 
Lord  High  Seneschal,  and  yet  three  more  as  Groom 
of  the  Chambers. 

The  King  loved  the  youth  and  gave  him  meet 
guerdon ;  and  the  young  Princess  Nastasya  favoured 
him  and  kept  him  in  her  heart. 

On  a  certain  day,  the  King  made  a  great  feast 
and  banquet;  and  the  Princess  would  have  kept 
the  youth  from  it.  "  Go  not  to  this  worshipful 
feast,  Dunai,"  she  said.  "  There  will  be  much 
eating  and  drunkenness,  and  thou  wilt  boast  of 
me,  the  fair  maid.  And  so  shalt  thou  lose  thy 
head,  Dunai." 

But  Dunai  heeded  not  her  warning  and  went 
to  the  feast.  When  all  were  well  drunken,  and 
the  feast  waxed  merry,  they  began  to  brag.^  And 
Dunai  spoke  much,  boasting  of  his  many  wanderings, 

^  Dunai  signifies  not  only  the  Danube,  but  any  river,  and 
quid  or  'peaceful  is  always  the  accompanying  adjective.  See 
Appendix. 

^  Bragging  was  very  popular — in  ancient  times,  and  is  often 
met  with  in  ballads  of  Northern  lands.  A  very  amusing  set  of 
brags  or  gabs  occurs  in  the  chanson  de  geste  "  Charlemagne's 
Journey  to  Jerusalem," 

25 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

of  the  King's  favour  and  rewards,  and  of  how  the 
young  Princess  Nastasya  kept  him  ever  in  her  heart. 

The  King  hked  not  this  brag,  and  cried  in  a 
loud  voice  :  "  Ho  there,  ye  pitiless  headsmen  ! 
Seize  this  quiet  Dunai  by  the  white  hands,  by  his 
golden  ring ;  lead  him  into  the  open  plain,  and  cut 
off  his  turbulent  head." 

Then  Dunai  besought  his  keepers  to  lead  him 
past  Nastasya' s  dwelling,  and  before  he  was  come 
to  it,  he  cried  softly  : 

"  Sleepest  thou,  Nastasya?  Wakest  thou  not? 
Lo,  they  are  leading  Dunai  to  the  open  plain." 
And  when  he  was  over  against  her  window  he 
shouted  at  the  top  of  his  voice  : 

"  Sleepest  thou,  Nastasya?  Wakest  thou  not? 
Dunai  goeth  to  his  death.     Forgive  !  " 

With  that  great  shout  the  palace  quaked ; 
Princess  Nastasya  woke,  and  ran  forth  into  the 
spacious  court  of  the  palace,  in  a  loose  robe  without 
a  girdle,  and  cried  in  piercing  tones  : 

"  Ho  there,  ye  pitiless  headsmen  !  Take  treas- 
ure as  much  as  ye  will,  and  release  Dunai  in  the 
open  plain.  Then  go  seek  in  the  royal  pot-house  ^ 
an  accursed  Tatar,  some  vile  wretch  whom  ye  may 
render  drunk  with  wine.  Cut  off  his  turbulent 
head,  and  bear  it  to  the  King  in  place  of  Dunai's." 

The  headsmen  hearkened  to  the  Princess's  words, 
released  Dunai,  and  bore  the  drunkard's  head  to 
the  King  of  Lithuania. 

But  Dunai  traversed  the  open  plain  and  came 
to  Kief  town.  There  he  entered  the  royal  pot- 
house, and  drank  away  his  hat  from  Grecian  land, 
all  his  flowered  garments,  his  shoes  of  morocco, 
and  all  that  he  had. 

^  Kabalc.  An  interpolation  of  the  sixteenth  century.  The 
pot-houses  were  called  royal  or  imperial  because,  until  recently, 
the  crown  derived  its  revenue  from  them. 

26 


QUIET   DUNAI   IVANOVICH 

And  as  Dunai  sat  thus  over  his  horns  of  hquor, 
it  chanced  on  a  day,  that  courteous  Prince  Vladi- 
mir ^  made  a  great  and  honourable  feast,  to  many 
princes,  boyars  (nobles)  and  mighty  Russian  heroes, 
where  they  sat  eating  bread  and  salt,  carving  the 
white  swan,  and  quaffing  sweet  mead,  and  green 
wine. 

The  long  day  drew  towards  its  close,  the  red  sun 
sank  to  even,  and  all  was  merry  at  the  feast  when 
the  guests  began  their  brags.  One  vaunted  his 
good  steed  and  one  his  youthful  prowess,  this 
knight  his  sharp  sword  and  that  his  deeds  of 
might;  the  wise  man  praised  his  aged  father  or 
mother,  the  foolish  his  young  wife  or  sister. 

Then  through  the  banquet  hall  paced  Fair  Sun 
Prince  Vladimir,  wrung  his  white  hands  and  shook 
his  yellow  curls.  No  golden  trumpet  pealed,  nor 
silver  pipe  trilled  sweet,  but  Prince  Vladimir  spoke  : 
"  Boast  not,  brothers ;  glory  not  in  your  prowess 
nor  in  good  steeds  nor  golden  treasure.  Have  not 
I  also  red  gold,  pure  silver,  fair  round  pearls? 
But  in  this  may  ye  glory  :  All  at  my  feast  are 
wedded,  save  one,  your  Prince.  I  only  am  unwed. 
Know  ye  not  of  some  Princess,  who  is  my  equal  ? 
Lofty  of  stature  must  she  be,  of  perfect  form,  her 
gait  delicate  and  graceful,  like  the  peacock;  a 
faint  flush  in  her  face  like  to  a  white  hare,  and 
eyes  of  the  clear  falcon  must  she  have,  yellow 
hair,  brows  of  blackest  sable,  and  swan-speech 
entrancing.  So  shall  I  have  one  with  whom  I 
may  think  my  thoughts,  and  take  counsel,  and  ye 
my  mighty  princes,  heroes  and  all  Kief,  one  to 
whom  ye  may  pay  homage." 

Then  all  at  meat  fell  sad  and  silent,  and  none 
spoke  a  word.     The  great  fled  behind  the  lesser, 

^  See  Appendix  for  Vladimir  in  his  historical  and  mythological 
aspects. 

27 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

the  lesser  hid  behind  the  small,  and  from  the  small 
came  no  reply. 

At  length  there  stepped  forth  from  behind  the 
oven  a  bold,  brave  youth,  Dobrynya  Nikitich, 
saying  : 

"  Our  liege,  Prince  Vladimir  !  grant  ine  to  speak 
a  word  without  speedy  death  or  distant  exile,  and 
chastise  me  not  therefor." 

"  Speak,  then,  Dobrynya  Nikitich,"  said  Vladi- 
mir, "  God  will  forgive  thee." 

Then  spoke  Dobrynya,  and  wavered  not :  "I 
know  a  fitting  mate  for  thee,  a  princess,  and  all 
thou  hast  described  is  she — a  beauty  such  as 
exists  not  elsewhere  in  all  the  white  world.  I 
have  not  seen  her,  but  her  fame  I  have  heard 
from  my  brother  in  arms,  my  cross-brother, 
mighty  Dunai  Ivanovich.  He  sitteth  now  in  the 
great  royal  pot-house  over  his  horns,  and  hath 
not  the  wherewithal  to  come  to  thy  honourable 
feast." 

Then  spoke  Vladimir  :  "  Take  my  golden  keys, 
open  my  iron-bound  chests,  take  treasure  as  thou 
requirest,  and  go,  Dobrynya,  to  the  royal  pot-house, 
ransom  Dunai' s  raiment,  and  conduct  Dunai  to  our 
honourable  feast." 

So  Dobrynya  took  gold,  and  went  to  the  pot- 
house. "  Ho  there,  ye  innkeepers  and  usurers  !  " 
he  cried,  "  take  what  ye  will,  and  restore  Dunai's 
garments." 

When  this  was  done,  Dobrynya  told  Dunai  how 
he  was  bidden  to  Vladimir's  feast;  and  Dunai 
made  answer  :  "  Lo  !  with  drunkenness  and  hunger 
my  turbulent  head  is  broken." 

So  they  poured  him  a  cup  of  green  wine,  in 
weight  a  pood  and  a  half.^     This  Dunai  grasped 

^  Sixty  pounds.  The  vessels  of  liquor  drunk  by  the  heroes 
are  rain-bearintf  clouds, 

28 


QUIET   DUNAii   IVANOVICH 

in  one  hand  and  drained  at  one  draught.  Then 
the  good  youths  set  out;  and  as  they  passed 
through  Kief,  maids  and  wives  thrust  heads  and 
shoulders  from  the  windows  crying :  ''  Whence 
come  such  fair  youths  as  these?  " 

When  they  came  to  the  palace  of  white  stone, 
to  the  fair  banquet  hall,  Dunai  crossed  himself  as 
prescribed,  did  reverence  as  enjoined,  on  two, 
three,  and  four  sides,  to  all  the  Russian  heroes 
and  to  Prince  Vladimir  in  particular.  And  they 
gave  Dunai  a  seat  at  the  oaken  board,  in  the  great 
corner,^  the  place  of  honour. 

As  he  feasted.  Fair  Sun  Vladimir  began  to  in- 
quire of  Dunai,  and  poured  out  green  wine  into  a 
great  cup  of  crystal  from  the  East,  set  in  a  rim  of 
gilt,  and  brought  it  to  quiet  Dunai.  The  measure 
of  that  cup  was  a  bucket  and  a  half,  and  its  weight 
a  pood  and  a  half.  Quiet  Dunai  took  the  cujd  in 
one  hand,  and  quaffed  it  at  a  breath.  Then  Fair 
Sun  Vladimir  poured  an  aurochs'  horn  of  sweet 
mead,  a  pood  and  a  half,  and  after  that  a  measure 
of  the  beer  of  drunkenness.  These  also  quiet 
Dunai  drained  at  one  draught,  and  intoxication 
showed  itself  in  his  head.  Nevertheless  he  stepped 
forward  without  staggering,  and  spoke  without 
confusion  : 

"  I  know  a  bride  fit  to  mate  with  thee,  royal 
Vladimir.  Twelve  full  years  I  served  in  yonder 
land  of  Lithuania,  and  the  King's  Majesty  hath 
two  great  and  fair  daughters.  The  eldest,  Princess 
Nastasya,  is  no  mate  for  thee;    she  rideth  ever 

^  The  right-hand  corner  facing  the  entrance  is  the  place  of 
honour  in  tlie  East;  the  most  illustrious  tombs  stand  in  the 
corners  of  the  churches,  and  at  the  Coronation  banquet,  the 
Emperor  dines  alone  in  one  corner  of  the  ancient  terem  (palace) 
kno\\Tr  as  the  gold  room.  The  kings  of  France  sat  in  the  left- 
hand  corner  of  the  apartment  to  hold  their  Beds  of  Justice. 

29 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

over  the  open  plain  seeking  adventures.  But  the 
younger,  the  Princess  Apraxia,  sitteth  at  home  in 
a  fair  chamber  embroidering  a  kerchief  in  red  gold. 
Behind  thrice  nine  locks  she  sitteth,  and  thrice 
nine  guards,  in  a  lofty  castle,  that  the  fair  red  sun 
may  not  scorch  her  nor  the  fine  and  frequent  rains 
drop  on  her,  nor  the  stormy  winds  breathe  on  her ; 
— that  she  may  be  seen  of  few." 

"  Ai,  my  Russian  heroes  !  "  spoke  Prince  Vladi- 
mir then :  "  Whom  shall  we  send  to  far-off 
Lithuania?  " 

And  a  hero  made  answer  :  "  Fair  Sun  Vladimir  ! 
we  have  not  been  in  strange  and  distant  countries, 
nor  seen  strange  people.  It  is  not  meet  that  we 
should  go.  Send  quiet  Dunai  Ivanovich ;  he  hath 
served  as  ambassador,  and  viewed  many  lands. 
He  talketh  much ;  therefore  send  him  to  do  thy 
wooing." 

Then  spake  Prince  Vladimir  :  "  Go  thou,  my 
Dunai ushka,  to  that  brave  Lithuanian  realm,  and 
woo  the  Princess  Apraxia  for  me  with  fair  words." 

"  Lord,"  said  Dunai,  "  it  is  not  meet  for  a  youth 
to  go  alone." 

"  Take  then  a  host  of  forty  thousand,  and 
treasure,  as  much  as  thou  requirest :  and  if  the 
King  give  not  his  daughter  willingly,  then  fetch 
her  by  force." 

"  I  need  no  host  to  wage  battle,  nor  golden 
treasure  to  barter,"  quoth  Dunai.  "  I  will  essay 
heroic  force  and  royal  threat.  Grant  me  but  my 
beloved  comrade,  Dobrynya  Nikitich, — he  is  of 
good  birth,  and  understandeth  how  to  deal  with 
people.  And  give  us  two  good  colts  which  have 
never  borne  saddle  or  bridle.  And  write  thou  a 
scroll,  that  our  wooing  of  the  Princess  Apraxia  for 
our  Prince  Vladimir  is  honourable." 

All  these  things  Fair  Sun  Vladimir  did.  Then 
30 


QUIET   DUNAI   IVANOVICH 

Dunai  and  Dobrynya  went  forth  from  the  palace, 
and  saddled  their  steeds;  put  on  them  plaited 
bridles  of  parti-coloured  silks,  and  silken  saddle- 
cloths, and  upon  these,  felts,  and  then  the  saddles, 
their  small  Cherkessian  saddles,  and  secured  them 
with  twelve  girths  with  silver  buckles, — the  stirrup 
buckles  were  of  gold.  Then  they  arrayed  and 
armed  themselves;  put  on  their  little  caps  from 
the  Sorochinsky  land,^  forty  poods  in  weight,  took 
their  maces  of  damascened  steel,  their  stout  bows, 
their  silken  whips,  mounted  their  good  steeds  and 
rode  through  the  narrow  lanes  of  Kief.  And  the 
good  steeds  galloped  at  will. 

But  when  they  reached  the  highway  out  of  Kief, 
they  urged  their  good  steeds  on,  spurring  their 
brisk  flanks,  and  smiting  them  with  their  braided 
whips  of  silk.  Past  deep  lakes  they  rode,  through 
forests  dreaming  still  in  primeval  denseness ;  and 
so  came  to  the  brave  land  of  Lithuania,  and  to  the 
royal  palace. 

There  quiet  Dunai  asked  no  leave  of  gate-keepers 
nor  porters,  but  flung  wide  the  barriers  and  led  the 
horses  into  the  spacious  court,  bidding  Dobrynya 
stand  there  and  guard  them.  So  Dobrynya  took 
the  bridles  in  his  left  hand,  and  in  his  right,  his 
little  elm-wood  club  from  Sorochinsky. 

"  Stand  thou  there,  Dobrynya,"  spake  quiet 
Dunai  then,  "  and  look  towards  the  royal  audience 
hall ;  when  I  shout,  then  will  be  the  time  to  come." 

Then  quiet  Dunai  entered  the  royal  hall  where 
sat  the  King,  crossing  himself  and  saluting  as  pre- 
scribed by  custom. 

"  Hail,  little  father.  King  of  brave  Lithuania  !  " 

"  Hail,  little  Dunai  Ivanovich  !  Whither  leadeth 

thy  path  ?     Art  thou  come  to  show  thyself  or  to 

view  us?     Twelve  years  thou  didst  serve  us  faith- 

^  Saracen  land. 

31 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

fully ;  art  thou  now  come  to  fight  against  us,  or  to 
serve  us  as  of  yore? — Yet  eat  thy  fill,  fair  youth, 
and  drink  as  good  seemeth  to  thee."  Then  the 
King  seated  him  at  the  great  table  in  the  place  of 
honour,  giving  him  sweet  viands  and  mead,  and 
began  again  to  inquire  his  errand. 

"  My  errand  is  good,"  Dunai  made  answer.  "  I 
come  to  woo  thy  daughter  Apraxia  for  the  Fair 
Sun,  Prince  Vladimir."  Then  he  laid  the  scroll 
on  the  oaken  table. 

The  King  looking  upon  it,  tore  the  black  curls 
from  his  head  and  cast  them  on  the  brick  floor,  as 
he  spoke  in  wrath  : 

"  Stupid  in  sooth  is  Vladimir  of  Royal  Kief,  in 
that  he  sent  not  as  wooer  a  wealthy  peasant,  a  good 
lord  or  a  mighty  hero  !  But  he  must  needs  send 
me  some  noble's  serf  !  Ho  there,  my  trusty  ser- 
vants !  Take  this  Dunai  by  his  white  hands,  seize 
him  by  his  golden  ring,  by  his  yellow  curls ;  lead 
him  to  the  deep  dungeons  for  his  discourteous 
speech.  Shut  him  in  with  oaken  planks,  with  iron 
gratings,  and  above  sprinkle  orange-tawny  sand. 
Let  his  food  be  water  and  oats  alone,  until  he  shall 
bethink  himself  and  gain  his  senses." 

Quiet  Dunai  hung  his  turbulent  head,  and 
dropped  his  clear  eyes  to  the  floor ;  then  raised  his 
small  white  hand  and  smote  the  table  with  his  fist. 
The  fair  liquors  all  were  spilled,  the  dishes  rolled 
away,  the  tables  fell  together,  and  the  railed 
balconies  of  the  palace  sat  awry.  The  Tatars  all 
were  terrified,  the  King  fled  to  his  lofty  tower, 
and  covered  himself  with  his  cloak  of  marten 
skins. 

Then  quiet  Dunai  leaped  over  the  golden  chair 
(for  he  perceived  that  the  matter  was  not  a  light 
one),  seized  one  Tatar  by  his  heels,  and  began  to 
slay  the  rest. 

32 


QUIET  DUNAI   IVANOVICH 

"  This  Tatar  is  tough,"  he  cried;  "  he  will  not 
break;    the  Tatar  is  wiry,  he  will  not  tear." 

Dobrynya  at  that  shout,  began  to  lay  about  him, 
and  slew  five  hundred  Tatars  with  his  own  right  hand. 

Then  the  King's  trusty  servants  fled  to  him  from 
his  princely  court :  "  Ai,  little  father.  King  of 
brave  Lithuania  !  Thou  knowest  not  the  evil  that 
is  come  upon  thee.  Into  thy  royal  court  no  falcon 
clear  hath  flown,  no  raven  black  hath  fluttered, 
but  a  bold  and  goodly  youth  hath  ridden.  In  his 
left  hand  he  graspeth  the  silken  bridles  of  two 
good  steeds,  in  his  right  he  holdeth  a  club  of  elm- 
wood  filled  with  lead.  Wheresoever  he  waveth 
that  club,  the  Tatars  fall  before  it.  He  hath  slain 
them  all,  to  the  last  man,  and  none  is  left  to 
continue  the  race  !  " 

Then  the  King  of  Lithuania  cried  :  "  Ai,  quiet 
little  Dunai  Ivanovich  !  Forget  not  my  hospitality 
of  yore  !  Sit  thou  at  one  table  with  me,  and  let 
us  consider  this  wooing  of  Prince  Vladimir.  Take 
my  elder  daughter." 

"  I  will  not,"  said  quiet  Dunai,  and  ceased  not 
to  slay. 

"  Take  then  the  Princess  Apraxia,  if  thou  wilt !  " 
said  the  King  when  he  saw  that. 

Then  quiet  Dunai  went  to  the  lofty  castle,  and 
began  to  knock  off  the  locks  and  to  force  open  the 
doors.  He  entered  the  golden-roofed  tower,  and 
came  to  where  the  most  fair  Princess  Apraxia  was 
pacing  her  chamber,  clad  in  a  thin  robe  without 
a  girdle,  her  ruddy  locks  unbound,  and  no  shoes 
upon  her  feet. 

"  Ai,  Princess  Apraxia  !  wilt  thou  wed  with 
Prince  Vladimir?  "  said  Dunai. 

And  she  made  answer  :  "  These  three  years  I 
have  prayed  the  Lord  that  Prince  Vladimir  might 
be  my  husband." 

D  33 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

Then  quiet  Dunai  Ivanovich  took  her  by  her 
small  white  hands,  by  her  golden  ring,  and  kissed 
her  sugar  lips  for  that  sweet  speech,  and  led  her 
forth  to  the  spacious  court. 

There  the  King  met  them,  and  said  :  "  Take 
also  the  Princess's  dowry."  So  thirty  carts  were 
laden  with  red  gold,  pure  silver,  fair  round  pearls 
and  jewels. 

Then  they  mounted  their  good  steeds,  and  rode 
over  the  glorious,  far-reaching,  open  plain. 

Dark  night  overtook  them  on  the  road.  So  the 
good  youths  pitched  a  linen  pavilion,  and  lay  down 
to  sleep.  They  placed  their  good  steeds  at  their 
feet,  their  sharp  spears  at  their  heads ;  at  their 
right  hands  lay  their  stout  swords,  at  their  left 
their  daggers  of  steel. 

The  good  youths  slept  and  slumbered,  enjoying 
the  dark  night.  Nothing  saw  they,  and  nothing 
did  they  hear,  not  even  the  Tatar  riding  across  the 
plain. 

They  rose  while  it  was  still  very  early,  and  set 
out  upon  their  way.  And  the  Tatar  rode  in  pur- 
suit, his  steed  all  covered  with  the  mire  of  the  way. 

Then  Dunai  was  aware  of  the  knight  in  the  way, 
and  sent  Dobrynya  on  to  Kief  town  in  Holy  Russia, 
with  the  fair  Princess  Apraxia,  but  remained  him- 
self in  the  open  plain  to  meet  that  stout,  bold 
adversary. 

When  the  Tatar  perceived  that  he  was  pursued 
in  turn,  and  that  Dunai  had  overtaken  him,  he 
began  to  smite  Dunai  with  his  spear,  and  to  say  to 
himself:  "Halt,  Tatar,  on  the  open  plain;  roar, 
Tatar,  like  a  wild  beast;  whistle,  Tatar,  like  a 
serpent  !  " 

So  the  Tatar  roared  and  whistled ; — the  pebbles 
were  scattered  over  the  plain,  the  grass  withered, 
the  flowerets  drooped,  and  Dunai  fell  from  his  good 

34 


QUIET  DUNAI  IVANOVICH 

steed.  But  quickly  sprang  Dunai  to  his  nimble 
feet,  and  fought  the  Tatar  knight,  with  mace,  far- 
reaching  spear  and  sharp  sword,  until  all  were 
broken  or  dulled,  and  he  had  overcome  his  adver- 
sary. Then  he  drew  his  dagger,  and  would  have 
pierced  him  to  the  heart. 

"  Tell  me  now,  accursed  Tatar,"  cried  Dunai, 
"  and  conceal  it  not :  What  is  thy  birth  and  tribe  ?  " 

"  Sat  I  on  thy  white  breast,"  quoth  the  Tatar, 
"  I  would  inquire  neither  tribe  nor  family,  but 
would  stab  thee." 

Then  Dunai  sat  upon  his  foe's  white  breast,  and 
would  have  pierced  it,  but  his  tender  heart  was 
terrified,  and  his  arm  stiffened  at  the  shoulder  :  for 
the  bosom  was  that  of  a  woman. 

"  How  now,  fair  Dunai  !  knowest  thou  me  not? 
Yet  we  trod  one  path,  sat  in  one  bower,  drank 
from  one  cup  !  And  thou  didst  dwell  with  us 
twelve  full  years.  —  But  loud-voiced  men  have 
come  from  Holy  Russia,  while  I  was  from  home, 
and  have  stolen  away  my  sister.     And  her  I  seek." 

"  Ai,  Princess  Nastasya ! "  cried  quiet  Dunai, 
and  raised  her  from  the  damp  earth  by  her  white 
hands,  and  kissed  her  sugar  mouth.  "  Let  us  go 
to  Kief  town,  and  receive  the  wonder-working 
cross,  and  take  the  golden  crowns."  ^ 

So  he  placed  her  upon  his  good  steed,  took  from 
her  her  mace  of  steel  and  her  sharp  sword,  and 
mounting,  led  her  horse  behind  them. 

Thus  they  came  to  Kief  town,  to  God's  church : 
and  in  the  outer  porch,  they  met  Fair  Sun  Prince 
Vladimir  and  the  Princess  Apraxia  who  were  come 
thither  to  be  married.  The  sisters  greeted  each 
other,  and  Nastasya  received  baptism.  Then  they 
were  married,  the  younger  sister  first,  as  was  meet, 

^  Be  married :  referring  to  the  crowns  held  over  the  heads  of 
bride  and  groom  during  the  marriage  ceremony. 

35 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

and  the  elder  afterwards.  And  great  was  the 
marriage  feast  which  courteous  Prince  Vladimir 
made  for  himself  and  for  quiet  Dunai  Ivanovich. 

— Three  years  they  lived  in  mirth  and  joy  :  and 
in  the  fourth  year,  courteous  Prince  Vladimir  made 
again  a  great  and  honourable  feast.  When  all  had 
well  drunken,  they  began  to  make  brags.  Dunai 
Ivanovich  bragged  also.  "  In  all  Kief  town," 
quoth  he,  "is  no  such  youth  as  quiet  Dunai. 
From  the  Lithuanian  land  he  drew  forth  two  white 
swans;  he  married  himself,  and  gave  another  also 
in  marriage." 

Princess  Nastasya  answered  him  :  "Is  not  thy 
boast  empty,  Dunaiushka  ?  Not  long  have  I  dwelt 
in  this  town,  yet  much  have  I  learned.  Fair  is 
Churilo  Plenkovich,  daring  Alyosha  Popovich,  and 
courteous  young  Dobrynya  Nikitich ;  "  and  so  she 
praised  the  different  heroes,  yet  spake  no  word  of 
praise  for  Dunai,  who  had  praised  himself. 

"  Neither  in  deeds  of  knightly  exercise  are  the 
heroes  lacking,"  quoth  the  Princess,  "  and  even  I 
can  shoot  somewhat.  Let  us  now  take  a  stout  bow, 
and  let  us  set  a  sharp  dagger  in  the  open  plain,  a 
full  verst  1  away,  and  before  it,  a  silver  ring.  Let 
us  shoot  through  the  silver  ring  at  the  sharp  dagger 
in  such  wise  that  the  arrow  may  fall  into  two  equal 
parts  against  the  dagger,  into  two  parts  alike  to 
the  eye  and  of  equal  weight." 

Quiet  Dunai  was  both  ashamed  and  wroth  at 
this,  and  said  :  "  Good,  Nastasiushka  !  let  us  go 
to  the  plain,  and  shoot  our  fiery  darts." 

So  they  went  forth.  Nastasya  sent  a  burning 
arrow;  it  passed  through  the  ring,  and  falling 
upon  the  sharp  blade,  was  parted  in  twain;  and 
both  the  parts  were  exactly  equal. 

Then  Dunaiushka  shot;   the  first  arrow  he  sent 
^  Two-thirds  of  a  mile. 
36 


QUIET   DUNAi   IVANOVICH 

too  far,  the  second  fell  short,  the  third  flew  wide  of 
the  mark  and  was  never  found  again. 

Quiet  Dunai  waxed  very  wroth  thereat,  and 
aimed  a  burning  arrow  smeared  with  serpent's  fat 
at  Nastasya's  white  breast.  Then  she  besought 
him  : 

"  Ai,  fair  Dunai  Ivanovich  !  forgive  my  foolish 
woman's  words.  Better  will  it  be  for  thee  to 
punish  me.  Let  this  be  thy  first  reprimand  :  take 
thy  silken  whip,  dip  it  in  burning  pitch,  and  chas- 
tise my  body.  And  for  the  second  reprimand : 
bind  me  by  my  woman's  hair  to  thy  stirrups,  and 
send  thy  horse  at  speed  over  the  wide  plain. — Bury 
me  to  the  breast  in  the  damp  earth, — beat  me  with 
oaken  rods, — torture  me  with  hunger, — feed  me 
with  oats,  and  so  keep  me  three  full  months. — 
But  grant  me  only  to  bear  thy  son,  and  leave  a 
posterity  behind  me  in  the  world.  For  such  a 
child  there  is  not  in  all  the  town.  His  little  legs 
are  silver  to  the  knee,  his  arms  to  the  elbow  are  of 
pure  gold ;  upon  his  brow  gloweth  the  fair  red  sun, 
upon  his  crown  shine  countless  stars,  and  at  the 
back  of  his  head  the  bright  moon  beameth." 

Dunai  heeded  not  her  speech,  but  sent  his  burn- 
ing arrow  into  her  white  breast,  and  took  out  her 
heart  with  his  dagger.  And  his  son  was  as  she 
had  said. 

Then  Dunai's  heroic  heart  burned  within  him 
for  grief  and  remorse.  "  Where  the  white  swan 
fell,"  he  cried,  "  there  also  shall  fall  the  falcon 
bright."  Then  he  placed  the  hilt  of  his  dagger  on 
the  damp  earth,  and  fell  upon  its  sharp  point  with 
his  white  breast.  And  from  that  spot  flowed  forth 
straightway  two  swift  streams ;  the  greater  was 
the  river  Don,  the  lesser  the  Dnyepr,  Nastasya's 
river.  Nastasya's  river  flowed  to  the  Kingdom  of 
Lithuania,  and  thence  to  the  Golden  Horde.     The 

37 


i  Aai  1  k 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

Don,  twenty  fathoms  deep  and  forty  wide,  ran  past 
Kief  town.  Where  they  met,  two  cypress  trees 
sprang  up,  and  twined  together,  and  on  their  leaves 
was  written  :  "  This  marvel  came  to  pass  for  the 
wonder  of  all  young  people,  and  the  solace  of  the 
old." 

Thus  the  Song  of  quiet  Dunai  for  ever  shall  be 
sung,  for  the  peace  of  the  blue  sea  and  the  hearing 
of  all  good  people. 


38 


Stavr  Godinovich  the  Boyar   (Noble) 

COURTEOUS  Prince  Vladimir  made  a  great 
feast  in  royal  Kief  town,  and  summoned 
thereto  all  his  princes,  boyars,  mighty  heroes 
and  bold  polyanitzas  :  ^  likewise  many  merchants 
and  strangers. 

Among  these  last  was  young  Stavr  Godinovich 
from  Chernigof.  Softly  he  mounted  the  steps,  and 
lightly  paced  through  the  antechambers,  as  he 
crossed  himself  and  bowed  low  on  all  sides,  and  to 
Prince  Vladimir  and  his  daughter  in  particular. 

The  red  sun  inclined  to  even,  and  all  the  youths 
were  merry  with  drink,  so  that  they  waxed  boast- 
ful. The  heroes  vaunted  their  good  steeds,  heroic 
strength  or  golden  treasure,  the  merchants  their 
Siberian  fox  pelts  and  black  sables.  But  Stavr 
sat  alone,  eating  and  drinking  nothing,  and  making 
no  brag.  As  Prince  Vladimir  paced  the  banquet 
hall,  he  espied  Stavr  sitting  thus ;  and  he  poured 
out  a  cup  of  green  wine  and  brought  it  to  him, 
inquiring  wherefore  he  neither  ate  nor  drank. 

"  Thou  tastest  not  my  white  swan,"  he  said, 
"  neither  makest  thou  any  brag.  Hast  thou,  then, 
no  towns  with  their  suburbs,  villages  with  their 
hamlets,  nor  even  so  much  as  a  good  mother  or  a 
praiseworthy  young  wife,  of  whom  thou  mayest 
boast?" 

^  Female  warriors. 
39 


EPIC    SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

"  Stavr  hath  enough  whereof  to  boast,  Prince 
Vladimir  of  royal  Kief,"  quoth  Stavr.  "  What 
petty  outpost  is  this  Kief  of  royal  Vladimir,  for- 
sooth ?  Stavr' s  spacious  court  is  no  worse  than 
the  whole  of  Kief  town.  His  palace  covers  seven 
versts,  his  halls  and  chambers  of  white  oak  are 
hung  with  gray  beaver  skins,  the  ceilings  with  black 
sables.  His  floors  are  of  silver  only — his  hasps 
and  hinges  of  steel.  Thirty  youths  also  hath  Stavr, 
master  shoemakers  all ; — they  sew  shoes,  pausing 
not.  Stavr  weareth  a  pair  a  day,  and  yet  another 
day,  perchance  :  then  are  they  taken  to  the 
market  place,  and  sold  to  princes  and  nobles  for 
their  full  worth.  And  yet  more  hath  Stavr  whereof 
to  boast : — thirty  young  tailors,  masters  of  their 
trade,  who  make  ever  new  kaftans,  so  that  Stavr 
weareth  his  garments  but  a  day,  or  at  the  most, 
two  days,  and  then  selleth  them  in  the  market  to 
princes  and  nobles  at  a  great  price. — But  Stavr 
will  not  brag. — And  yet  more  hath  Stavr — a 
golden-coated  mare,  whose  cost  was  five  hundred 
roubles.  On  the  best  of  her  foals  Stavr  rideth,  and 
the  worst  he  selleth  at  great  prices  to  princes  and 
boyars.  Hence  Stavr's  golden  treasure  is  never 
exhausted.  Yet  one  thing  hath  Stavr  whereof  he 
will  boast,  a  young  wife,  Vasilisa  Mikulichna  :  ^ 
she  could  buy  and  sell  all  Kief  town,  deceive  all 
these  princes  and  nobles,  and  drive  even  Fair  Sun 
Vladimir  from  his  senses." 

Then  all  at  the  feast  fell  silent  at  this  word. 
Prince  Vladimir  liked  not  the  discourteous  speech, 
and  his  nobles  cried  : 

"  Fair  Sun  Vladimir,  Prince  of  royal  Kief  !  Let 
us  now  thrust  this  churl  into  a  cold  dungeon,  and 
let  his  young  wife  deceive  us  all,  princes  and  nobles, 

1  Daughter  of  Mikula  the  Villager's  Son,  and  sister  of 
Nastasya,  Dobrynya's  wife,  according  to  the  peasant  singer. 

40 


STAVR   GODINOVICH  THE   BOYAR 

drive  thee,  Prince  Vladimir,  from  thy  wits,  and 
dehver  Stavr  from  his  prison." 

So  Vladimir  gave  command  that  iron  fetters 
should  be  placed  on  Stavr's  hands  and  feet,  and 
that  he  should  be  led  to  a  dungeon  forty  fathoms 
deep,  with  iron  doors  and  locks  of  steel,  where  his 
food  should  be  oats  and  water. 

But  Stavr's  serving-man  mounted  his  master's 
good  steed  and  rode  in  haste  to  Chernigof,  to  Stavr's 
palace  of  white  stone,  and  his  young  wife. 

Now  Vasilisa  Mikulichna  had  made  a  great 
banquet  for  the  wives  of  the  merchants  and  rulers 
of  the  town,  and  so  the  man  found  them  feasting. 

When  her  husband's  man  told  her  all  that  had 
befallen  in  Kief,  the  young  wife  rose  from  her 
bench  of  oak,  and  said  : 

"  Time  is  it,  my  welcome  guests,  to  betake  your- 
selves to  your  own  homes  and  dwellings." 

Then  she  seated  herself  in  her  folding  chair,  and 
for  the  space  of  three  full  hours  she  meditated  how 
she  might  release  her  husband. 

"  Untold  treasure  of  gold  will  not  ransom  Stavr," 
she  said,  "  nor  may  he  be  released  by  mighty  heroic 
strength.     Stavr  must  be  saved  by  woman's  wiles." 

Then  she  wrote  a  letter  to  show  that  she  was 
an  ominous  ambassador  from  the  Island  of  Kodol, 
in  the  land  of  Ledenetz,  come  on  an  honourable 
mission  to  Fair  Sun  Prince  Vladimir,  to  sue  for  the 
hand  of  his  fair  daughter  Beauty.^  After  that 
she  hastened  to  her  heroic  chamber,  and  summoned 
her  tiring-women  :  "  Ai,  my  trusty  maids,  make 
haste  and  cut  off  my  ruddy  braid,  fetch  me  an 
ambassador's  apparel,  and  saddle  me  a  heroic 
steed." 

In  very  great  haste  they  sheared  off  her  ruddy 
locks  in  fashion  like  a  man's,  dressed  her  in  black 
^  Zapava,  or  Zabava. 
41 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

velvet  breeches  and  the  garments  of  an  ambassador, 
and  led  forth  her  horse. 

Then  she  summoned  a  body-guard  of  forty  good 
youths,  and  they  mounted  and  rode  with  her. 

When  they  had  traversed  half  the  way,  a  stern 
messenger  came  riding  towards  them  from  Kief 
town,  and  as  they  came  together  they  saluted, 
palm  kissing  palm.  Then  the  messenger  began 
to  inquire  of  Vasilisa  whence  this  bold  and  goodly 
youth  was  come  and  whither  he  was  going. 

She  told  him  that  she  was  sent  by  the  stern  King 
Yetmanuila  Yetmanuilovich,  to  collect  tribute  for 
twelve  years, — three  thousand  roubles  for  each 
year. 

In  turn  the  messenger  told  her,  that  he  was  on 
his  way  to  seal  up  Stavr's  palace,  and  to  fetch  his 
young  wife  to  Kief.  Then  spoke  the  good  youths 
of  Vasilisa's  guard  : 

"  We  have  been  at  Stavr's  palace,  and  there  is 
no  one  therein  :  for  his  young  wife  hath  departed 
to  the  distant  land,  to  the  Golden  Horde." 

So  the  messenger  turned  back  to  Kief,  and  out- 
riding them,  told  Prince  Vladimir  privately  that  a 
threatening  ambassador,^  Vasily  Mikulich,  was  on 
his  way  to  Kief  from  a  far-off  land. 

Prince  Vladimir  was  sore  troubled  thereat,  and 
the  people  made  haste  to  sweep  the  streets,  and  to 
lay  pine-trees  in  the  muddy  ways,  so  that  they  might 
be  passable.  Then  they  waited  outside  the  gates, 
for  the  coming  of  the  ambassador  from  the  stern 
King  Yetmanuila  Yetmanuilovich  from  the  far-off 
land  of  Ledenetz. 

But  when  Vasily  Mikulich  came,  he  passed  not 

the   gates  : — he  leaped  the  city  walls,  passed  the 

corner  towers,  and  came  to  the  spacious  princely 

court.     There    he    sprang    from    his    good    steed, 

^  Vasilisa  appears  as  a  Tzarevich  in  some  versions. 

42 


STAVR   GODINOVICH   THE   BOYAR 

thrust  the  butt-end  of  his  far-reaching  spear  into 
the  earth,  flung  his  silken  bridle  over  the  golden 
spike  at  its  point,  and  entered  straightway  the  fair, 
royal  halls,  asking  leave  of  none,  but  flinging  wide 
the  doors. 

There  Vasilisa  bowed  on  all  sides,  and  to  Prince 
Vladimir  in  particular,  laid  her  letter  on  the  oaken 
table,  and  demanded  the  hand  of  his  daughter  ^  in 
marriage. 

Prince  Vladimir  rose  to  his  nimble  feet,  took  the 
letter  in  his  white  hands,  broke  the  seal  and  scanned 
each  word  narrowly,  then  spake  : 

"  'Tis  well,  Vasily  MikuHch.  I  will  give  thee 
Beauty  to  wife.  I  go  now  to  take  counsel  with 
my  daughter." 

But  when  he  came  to  his  well-loved  daughter. 
Beauty  said  :  "  What  art  thou  minded  to  do,  dear 
father?  wilt  thou  give  a  maiden  in  marriage  to  a 
woman?  For  I  have  marked  this  Vasily  Mikulich. 
No  threatening  ambassador  is  he — but  a  woman, 
by  all  the  signs.  When  he  walketh  in  the  court- 
yard, 'tis  like  a  duck  swimming;  his  speech  is  a 
woman's  pipe,  his  gait  in  the  royal  halls  is  mincing ; 
when  he  sitteth  upon  the  wall-bench,  he  presseth 
his  feet  close  one  to  the  other ;  his  little  hands  are 
white,  his  fingers  delicate,  and  upon  them  the 
marks  of  rings  still  linger." 

"  That  we  shall  see,"  quoth  Vladimir  :  "  for  I 
will  now  prove  this  ambassador.  I  will  have  the 
steam  bath  prepared  for  him  after  his  journey.  If 
he  be  in  truth  a  mighty  hero,  then  will  he  come 
to  the  bath  with  me  :  but  if  he  be  a  woman,  he 
will  not  come." 

So  the  bath  was  heated,  and  Vladimir  went  to 
invite  Vasily  Mikulich. 

^  Evidently  the  same  Beauty  (Zapava)  who  figures  in  other 
hylinas  as  Vladimir's  niece. 

43 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

"  Wilt  thou  steam  thyself  with  me,  after  the 
road,  good  youth?  "  he  said.     And  Vasily  replied  : 

"  My  soul  burnetii  to  do  that.  Pleasing  will  it 
be  after  my  journey." 

Now,  Prince  Vladimir  was  royally  apparelled, 
and  while  he  was  busy  with  putting  off  his  garments, 
Vasilisa  hastened  to  the  bath,  wet  her  head,  and 
came  forth  as  Vladimir  entered. 

"  With  great  speed  hast  thou  steamed  thyself, 
Ambassador  Vasily  Mikulich  !  Why  didst  thou 
not  await  my  coming?  " 

"  Thou  art  at  home  and  at  leisure,  Prince  Vla- 
dimir, but  I  am  a  traveller;  my  business  brooketh 
no  long  delay  in  the  bath.  I  am  come  to  woo. 
Give  me  thy  young  daughter  to  wife." 

"  I  will  take  counsel  with  the  maiden,"  quoth 
Vladimir,  and  went  to  his  daughter. 

But  Beauty  said  :  "  Wilt  thou  make  thyself  a 
laughing-stock  for  all  Russia,  my  father,  and  wed 
thy  daughter  to  a  woman  ?  For,  by  all  signs,  she 
is  no  man." 

"  I  will  prove  her  yet  once  more,  my  dear 
daughter,"  quoth  Vladimir,  and  went  to  Vasily. 

"Is  it  pleasing  to  thee  to  shoot  a  match  with 
my  young  men,  Vasiliushka  Mikulich  ?  " 

"  My  soul  longeth  for  that,"  she  answered. 
Then  they  went  forth  upon  the  open  plain,  and 
began  to  shoot  at  a  damp  oak,  a  full  verst  distant. 
The  arrow  of  one  good  youth  flew  past,  another 
good  youth  shot  short,  a  third  shot  wide  of  the 
mark.  Some  shot  fair,  but  all  the  fiery  arrows 
which  were  lodged  in  that  tree  by  heroic  hands  did 
but  make  the  damp  oak  quiver,  as  in  stress  of 
weather. 

Then  Vasily  Mikulich  spoke  : 

"  Ho  there,  Prince  Vladimir  !  I  will  have  none 
of  these  heroic  bows.     I  have  by  me  a  little  travel- 

44 


STAVR  GODINOVICH   THE   BOYAR 

ling  bow,  with  which  I  adventure  out  upon  the 
open  plain."  Then  came  bold  and  goodly  youths 
from  the  white  pavilion  without  the  walls,  where 
she  had  left  her  body-guard.  Five  men  bore  the 
first  end,  and  as  many  more  the  last,  and  thirty 
stout  youths  dragged  along  the  quiver  of  burning 
arrows.  Then  she  took  an  arrow  in  her  small  left 
hand,  an  arrow  of  steel,  drew  the  great  bow  to 
her  ear,  and  took  aim  at  the  damp  oak.  The  cord 
of  the  stout  bow  sang,  Vladimir  crept  about,  and 
all  his  heroes  stood  as  though  stifled  with  stove 
gas.  The  firm  dart  screamed,  lodged  in  the  damp, 
ringbarked  oak,  and  shivered  it  into  splinters. 
Thereupon  Prince  Vladimir  spat  to  one  side,  and 
said  as  he  went  away  :  "I  will  prove  this  ambas- 
sador yet  once  again.  If  he  be  a  woman,  he  will 
refuse  a  wrestling  match." 

So  he  assembled  thirty  good  youths  and  bold, 
in  his  spacious  court,  and  spoke  this  word  : 

"  Ai,  Vasily  Mikulich  !  doth  thy  soul  burn  to 
wrestle  with  my  men?  " 

"  In  sooth.  Fair  Prince  Vladimir,  are  there  any 
with  whom  I  may  wrestle  ?  "  the  ambassador  made 
answer.  "  Since  my  childhood  have  I  run  the 
streets,  and  many  a  bout  have  I  wrestled  with  the 
children  in  sport."  Then  Vasily  stepped  forth  into 
the  court,  grasped  two  heroes  in  one  hand,  three 
in  the  other,  and  knocked  their  skulls  together, 
so  that  there  was  no  soul  left  in  them.  Vladimir 
began  to  entreat  her  : 

"  Curb  thy  heroic  heart,  young  Vasily  Mikulich, 
I  pray  :   spare  at  least  a  remnant  of  our  people." 

Vasily  answered  :  "I  came  on  an  honourable 
mission — to  woo  thy  beloved  daughter.  If  thou 
wilt  now  give  her  with  honour,  with  honour  will  I 
take  her ;  but  if  not,  I  will  take  her  without  honour, 
and  I  will  beat  in  thy  sides." 

45 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

Then  Prince  Vladimir  went  no  more  to  ask  his 
daughter  Beauty's  pleasure  in  this  matter,  but 
betrothed  her  forthwith  to  the  stern  ambassador, 
and  ordered  a  noble  banquet  and  wedding  feast. 

On  the  third  day  of  the  feast,  when  the  time 
drew  near  for  them  to  fare  to  God's  church  and  be 
married,  Vasily  grew  sad  and  exceeding  sorrowful. 
Then  Prince  Vladimir  began  to  inquire  of  him  why 
he  was  not  merry. 

Vasily  made  answer  :  "I  know  not  why  my  soul 
is  heavy.  My  father  hath  died,  perchance,  or  my 
dear  mother.  Hast  thou  then  no  good  youths,  no 
players  upon  the  gusly  ^  of  maple-wood,  who  may 
solace  us?  " 

But  when  the  harp-players  were  summoned,  and 
played  and  sang  songs  of  the  olden  days  and  of  the 
present,  and  of  all  times,  Vasily  was  still  sad,  and 
said  : 

"  Where  is  now  Stavr  Godinovich  from  our  land  ? 
He  is  a  master  player  upon  the  harp  of  maple-wood, 
and  none  but  he  can  cheer  my  spirit." 

Then  Prince  Vladimir  said  to  himself  :  "  If  I 
summon  not  Stavr,  I  shall  anger  the  ambassador; 
but  if  I  summon  him,  he  will  be  carried  away." 

Nevertheless  he  dared  not  offend  Vasily,  and  sent 
for  Stavr,  to  the  princely  banquet-hall. 

Stavr  strung  his  harp,  and  began  to  pluck  the 
strings.  One  string  he  strung  from  Kief,  and  one 
from  Tzargrad,^  the  third  from  far  Jerusalem.  He 
played  great  dances,  and  sang  songs  from  over  the 
blue  sea. 

Then  Vasiliushka,  the  stern  ambassador,  began 
to  sleep  and  dream,^  and  to  say  :    "  Ai,  Fair  Sun 

^  A  sort  of  recumbent  harp  of  four  octaves. 
^  Constantinople. 

^  Among  the  ancient  Slavs  this  was  regarded  as  the  highest 
compliment  which  could  be  paid  to  a  musician. 

46 


STAVR  GODINOVICH  THE   BOYAR 

Prince  Vladimir ;  let  Stavr  go  to  my  white  pavilion, 
and  view  there  my  body-guard,  and  walk  in  the 
open  fields."  This  Vladimir  would  fain  have  re- 
fused, yet  dared  not  anger  the  man;  and  so 
allowed  it. 

When  they  were  come  to  the  open  plain  and 
the  pavilion,  VasiHsa  said :  "  Dost  thou  not 
know  me,  Stavr?"  And  he  answered:  "After 
that  dungeon,  I  cannot  recall  far  distant 
years." 

"  Ai,  thou  stupid  Stavr !  Knowestthou  not  thy 
young  wife  Vasihsa  Mikulichna?  " 

"  Yea,  her  I  should  know  after  thirteen 
years." 

"  FooHsh  Stavr  !  thou  hast  not  known  me  after 
scant  three  months." 

Then  she  went  into  the  pavilion,  put  off  her 
manly  garb,  and  donned  her  own  raiment;  and 
coming  forth  she  took  Stavr  by  his  white  hands, 
kissed  his  sugar  mouth,  called  him  her  beloved 
husband.  Then  he  knew  his  young  wife,  and  said  : 
"  What  will  Fair  Sun  Vladimir  do  to  us  now  ?  Let 
us  mount  and  ride  swiftly  hence  !  " 

But  Vasilisa  said  :  "  Not  so :  we  must  not  steal 
away  in  this  fashion  from  royal  Kief.  Let  us 
rather  go  to  Prince  Vladimir." 

When  they  came  to  the  royal  palace,  Stavr  said  : 
"  Ai,  thou  Fair  Sun  Prince  Vladimir  !  I  have  made 
good  my  boast;  for  thou  hast  betrothed  thy 
daughter  to  my  young  wife." 

Then  was  Prince  Vladimir  shamed,  and  spoke 
this  word  :  "  With  reason  did  Stavr  boast  of  his 
young  wife,  Vasilisa  Mikulichna  !  May  God  for- 
give thee  thy  former  offence  !  But  boast  no  more 
of  thy  young  wife,  and  trade  evermore  in  our  good 
city  of  Kief  without  tax." 

But   Stavr   and   Vasilisa   mounted   their   good 
47 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

steeds,  and  rode  to  the  glorious  town  of  Chernigof, 
to  their  lordly  villages  and  palace  of  white  stone. 
No  more  did  Stavr  frequent  lordly  banquets,  and 
never  more  bragged  he  of  his  young  wife,  but  dwelt 
thenceforth  and  took  his  ease  in  Chernisof. 


48 


Ilya  of  Murom  and  Nightingale 
the  Robber 

YOUNG  Ilya  of  Murom,  Ivan's  son,  went  to 
matins  on  Easter  morn.  And  as  he 
stood  there  in  church,  he  vowed  a  great 
vow  :  "To  sing  at  high  mass  that  same  Easter 
day  in  Kief  town,  and  to  go  thither  by  the  straight 
way."  And  yet  another  vow  he  took  :  "  As  he 
fared  to  that  royal  town  by  the  straight  way,  not 
to  stain  his  hand  with  blood,  nor  yet  his  sharp 
sword  with  the  blood  of  the  accursed  Tatars." 
His  third  vow  he  swore  upon  his  mace  of  steel : 
"  That  though  he  should  go  the  straight  way,  he 
would  not  shoot  his  fiery  darts." 

Then  he  departed  from  the  cathedral  church, 
entered  the  spacious  courtyard  and  began  to  saddle 
good  Cloudfall,  his  shaggy  bay  steed,  to  arm  him- 
self and  prepare  for  his  journey  to  the  famous  town 
of  Kief,  to  the  worshipful  feast,  and  the  Fair  Sun 
Prince  Vladimir  of  royal  Kief.  Good  Cloudfall's 
mane  was  three  ells  in  length,  his  tail  three  fathoms, 
and  his  hair  of  three  colours.  Ilya  put  on  him  first 
the  plaited  bridle,  next  twelve  saddlecloths,  twelve 
felts,  and  upon  them  a  metal-bound  Cherkessian 
saddle.  The  silken  girths  were  twelve  in  number 
— not  for  youthful  vanity  but  for  heroic  strength ; 
the  stirrups  were  of  damascened  steel  from  beyond 
the  seas,  the  buckles  of  bronze  which  rusteth  not, 
E  49 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

weareth  not,  the  silk  from  Samarcand,  which 
chafeth  not,  teareth  not. 

They  saw  the  good  youth  as  he  mounted,— as 
he  rode  they  saw  him  not ;  so  swift  was  his  flight, 
there  seemed  but  a  smoke-wreath  on  the  open 
plain,  as  when  wild  winds  of  winter  whirl  about  the 
snow.  Good  Cloudfall  skimmed  over  the  grass, 
and  above  the  waters ;  high  over  the  standing  trees 
he  soared,  the  primeval  oaks,  yet  lower  than  the 
drifting  clouds.  From  mountain  to  mountain  he 
sprang,  from  hill  to  hill  he  galloped ;  little  rivers 
and  lakes  dropped  between  his  feet;  where  his 
hoofs  fell,  founts  of  water  gushed  forth;  in  the 
open  plain  smoke  eddied,  and  rose  aloft  in  a  pillar. 
At  each  leap  Cloudfall  compassed  a  verst  and  a  half. 

In  the  open  steppe,  young  Ilya  hewed  down  a 
forest  and  raised  a  godly  cross,  and  wrote  thereon  : 

"  Ilya  of  Murom,  the  Old  Kazak,  rideth  to 
royal  Kief  town,  on  his  first  heroic  quest." 

When  he  drew  near  to  Chernigof,  there  stood 
a  great  host  of  Tatars, — three  Tzareviches,  each 
with  forty  thousand  men.  The  cloud  of  steam 
from  the  horses  was  so  great,  that  the  fair  red  sun 
was  not  seen  by  day,  nor  the  bright  moon  by  night. 
The  gray  hare  could  not  course,  nor  the  clear  falcon 
fly,  about  that  host,  so  vast  was  it. 

When  Ilya  saw  that,  he  dismounted,  and  falling 
down  before  good  Cloudfall's  right  foot,  he  en- 
treated him  : 

"  Help  me,  my  shaggy  bay  !  "  So  Cloudfall 
soared  like  a  falcon  clear,  and  Ilya  plucked  up  a 
damp,  ringbarked  oak  from  the  damp  earth,  from 
amid  the  stones  and  roots,  and  bound  it  to  his  left 
stirrup,  grasped  another  in  his  right  hand,  and 
began  to  brandish  it.  "  Every  mari  may  take  a 
vow,"  quoth  he,  "  but  not  every  man  can  fulfil  it." 

Where  he  waved  the  damp  oak,  a  street  ap- 
50 


ILYA  AND   NIGHTINGALE 

peared;  where  he  drew  it  back,  a  lane.  Great 
as  was  the  number  that  he  slew,  yet  twice  that 
number  did  his  good  steed  trample  under  foot : 
not  one  was  spared  to  continue  their  race. 

The  gates  of  Chernigof  were  strongly  barred, 
a  great  watch  was  kept,  and  the  stout  and  mighty 
heroes  stood  in  council.  Therefore  Ilya  flew  on 
his  good  steed  over  the  city  wall  (the  height  of  the 
wall  was  twelve  fathoms),  and  entered  the  church 
where  all  the  people  were  assembled,  praying  God, 
repenting  and  receiving  the  sacrament  against  sure 
approaching  death.  Ilya  crossed  himself  as  pre- 
scribed, did  reverence  as  enjoined,  and  cried  : 

"  Hail,  ye  merchants  of  Chernigof,  warrior- 
maidens  and  mighty  heroes  all  !  Why  repent  ye 
now,  and  receive  the  sacrament?  Why  do  ye  bid 
farewell  thus  to  the  white  world  ?  " 

Then  they  told  him  how  they  were  besieged  by 
accursed  Tatars,  and  Ilya  said  :  "  Go  ye  upon  the 
famous  wall  of  your  city,  and  look  toward  the  open 
plain." 

They  did  as  he  commanded,  and  lo  !  where  had 
stood  the  many,  very  many  foreign  standards,  like 
a  dark,  dry  forest,  the  accursed  Tatars  were  now 
cut  down  and  heaped  up,  like  a  field  of  grain  which 
hath  been  reaped. 

Then  the  men  of  Chernigof  did  lowly  reverence 
to  the  good  youth,  and  besought  him  that  he  would 
reveal  his  name,  and  abide  in  Chernigof  to  serve 
them  as  their  Tzar,  King,  Voevoda,^ — what  he 
would ;  and  that  he  would  likewise  accept  at  their 
hands  a  bowl  of  pure  red  gold,  a  bowl  of  fair 
silver,  and  one  of  fine  seed-pearls. 

"  These  I  will   not  take,"    Ilya  made  answer, 

"  though  I  have  earned  them,  neither  will  I  dwell 

with  you  either  as  Tzar  or  peasant.     Live  ye  as  of 

^  Originally  this  signified  a  war  chieftain. 

51 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

old,  my  brothers,  and  show  me  the  straight  road  to 
Kief  town." 

Then  they  told  him  :  "  By  the  straight  road  it  is 
five  hundred  versts,  and  by  the  way  about,  a  thou- 
sand. Yet  take  not  the  straight  road,  for  therein 
lie  three  great  barriers  :  the  gray  wolf  trotteth  not 
that  way,  the  black  raven  flieth  not  overhead. 
The  first  barrier  is  the  lofty  mountains ;  the  second 
is  the  Smorodina  river,  six  versts  in  width,  and  the 
Black  Morass;  and  beside  that  river,  the  third 
barrier  is  Nightingale  the  Robber. 

"  He  hath  built  his  nest  on  seven  oaks,  that 
magic  bird.  When  he  whistleth  like  a  nightin- 
gale, the  dark  forest  boweth  to  the  earth,  the  green 
leaves  wither,  horse  and  rider  fall  as  dead.  For 
that  cause  the  road  is  lost,  and  no  man  hath 
travelled  it  these  thirty  years." 

When  Ilya  the  Old  Kazak  heard  that,  he 
mounted  his  good  steed,  and  rode  forthwith  that 
straight  way.  When  he  came  to  the  lofty  moun- 
tains, his  good  steed  rose  from  the  damp  earth,  and 
soared  like  a  bright  falcon  over  them  and  the  tall 
dreaming  forests.  When  he  came  to  the  Black 
Morass,  he  plucked  great  oaks  with  one  hand,  and 
flung  them  across  the  shaking  bog  for  thirty  versts, 
while  he  led  good  Cloudfall  with  the  other.  When 
he  came  to  Mother  Smorodina,  he  beat  his  steed's  fat 
sides,  so  that  the  horse  cleared  the  river  at  a  bound. 

There  sat  Nightingale  the  Robber  (surnamed 
the  Magic  Bird),  and  thrust  his  turbulent  head  out 
from  his  nest  upon  the  seven  oaks ;  sparks  and 
flame  poured  from  his  mouth  and  nostrils.  Then 
he  began  to  pipe  like  a  nightingale,  to  roar  like 
an  aurochs,  and  to  hiss  like  a  dragon.  Thereat 
good  Cloudfall,  that  heroic  steed,  fell  upon  his 
knees,  and  Ilya  began  to  beat  him  upon  his  flanks 
and  between  his  ears. 

52 


ILYA  AND   NIGHTINGALE 

"  Thou  wolf's  food  !  "  cried  Ilya,  "  thou  grass- 
bag  !  Hast  never  been  in  the  gloomy  forest,  nor 
heard  the  song  of  nightingale,  the  roar  of  wild 
beast,  nor  serpent's  hiss?  " 

Then  Ilya  brake  a  twig  from  a  willow  that  grew 
near  by,  that  he  might  keep  his  vow  not  to  stain 
his  weapons  with  blood,  fitted  it  to  his  stout  bow, 
and  conjured  it  :  "  Fly,  little  dart !  Enter  the 
Nightingale's  left  eye,  come  forth  at  his  right 
ear  !  " 

The  good  heroic  steed  rose  to  his  feet,  and  the 
Robber  Nightingale  fell  to  the  damp  earth  like  a 
rick  of  grain. 

Then  the  Old  Kazak  raised  up  that  mighty 
robber,  bound  him  to  his  stirrup  by  his  yellow 
curls,  and  went  his  way.  Ere  long  they  came  to 
the  Nightingale's  house,  built  upon  seven  pillars 
over  seven  versts  of  ground.  About  the  court- 
yard was  an  iron  paling,  upon  each  stake  thereof 
a  spike,  and  on  each  spike  the  head  of  a  hero. 
In  the  centre  was  the  strangers'  court;  and  there 
stood  three  towers  with  golden  crests,  spire  joined 
to  spire,  beam  merged  in  beam,  roof  wedded  to 
roof.  Green  gardens  were  planted  round  about, 
all  blossoming  and  blooming  with  azure  flowers, 
and  a  fair  orchard  encircled  all. 

When  the  Magic  Bird's  children  looked  from 
the  latticed  casements,  and  beheld  a  hero  riding 
with  one  at  his  stirrup,  they  cried  :  "  Ai,  lady 
mother  !  Our  father  cometh,  and  leadeth  a  man 
at  his  stirrup  for  us  to  eat." 

But  Elena,  the  one-eyed,  Nightingale's  witch 
daughter,  looked  forth  and  said  :  "  Nay,  it  is  the 
Old  Kazak  Ilya  of  Murom  who  rideth,  and  leadeth 
our  father  in  bonds." 

Then  spoke  Nightingale's  nine  sons :  "  We 
will  transform  ourselves  into  ravens,  and  rend  that 

53 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

peasant  with  our  iron  beaks,  and  scatter  his  white 
body  over  the  plain."  But  their  father  shouted  to 
them  that  they  should  not  harm  the  hero. 

Nevertheless,  Elena  the  witch  ran  into  the  wide 
courtyard,  tore  a  steel  beam  of  a  hundred  and 
fifty  poods  weight  from  the  threshold,  and  hurled 
it  at  Ilya.  The  good  youth  wavered  in  his  saddle, 
yet  being  nimble,  he  escaped  the  full  force  of  the 
blow.  Then  he  leaped  from  his  horse,  and  took 
the  witch  on  his  foot :  higher  flew  the  witch  then 
than  God's  temple,  higher  than  the  life-giving 
cross  thereon,  and  fell  against  the  rear  wall  of  the 
court,  where  her  skin  burst. 

"  Foolish  are  ye,  my  children  !  "  cried  the  Night- 
ingale. "  Fetch  from  the  vaults  a  cart-load  of 
fair  gold,  another  of  pure  silver  and  a  third  of  fine 
seed-pearls,  and  give  to  the  Old  Kazak,  Ilya  of 
Murom,  that  he  may  set  me  free," 

Quoth  Ilya  :  "  If  I  should  plant  my  sharp  spear 
in  the  earth,  and  if  thou  shouldst  heap  treasure 
about  it  until  it  was  covered,  yet  would  I  not 
release  thee,  Nightingale,  lest  thou  shouldst  resume 
thy  thieving.  But  follow  me  now  to  glorious  Kief 
town,  that  thou  mayest  receive  forgiveness  there." 

Then  his  good  Cloudfall  began  to  prance,  and 
the  Magic  Bird  at  his  stirrup  to  dance,  and  in  this 
wise  came  the  good  youth,  the  Old  Kazak,  to 
Kief,  to  glorious  Prince  Vladimir. 

Now,  fair  Prince  Vladimir  of  royal  Kief  was  not 
at  home;  he  had  gone  to  God's  temple.  There- 
fore Ilya  entered  the  court  without  leave  or  an- 
nouncement, bound  his  horse  to  the  golden  ring- 
in  the  carven  pillar,  and  laid  his  commands  upon 
that  good  heroic  steed  :  "  Guard  thou  the  Nightin- 
gale, my  charger,  that  he  depart  not  from  my 
stirrup  of  steel." 

And  to  Nightingale  he  said  ;  "  Look  to  it, 
54 


ILYA  AND   NIGHTINGALE 

Nightingale,  that  thou  depart  not  from  my  good 
steed ;  for  there  is  no  place  in  all  the  white  world 
where  thou  mayest  securely  hide  thyself  from  me  !  " 

Then  he  betook  himself  to  the  Easter  mass. 
There  he  crossed  himself  and  did  reverence  as 
prescribed,  on  all  four  sides,  and  to  the  Fair  Sun 
Prince  Vladimir  in  particular.  And  after  the  mass 
was  over,  Prince  Vladimir  sent  to  bid  the  strange 
hero  to  the  feast,  and  there  inquired  of  him  from 
what  horde  and  land  he  came,  and  what  was  his 
parentage.  So  Ilya  told  him  that  he  Avas  the  only 
son  of  honourable  parents.  "  I  stood  at  my  home 
in  Murom,  at  matins,"  quoth  he,  "  and  mass  was 
but  just  ended  when  I  came  hither  by  the  straight 
way." 

When  the  heroes  that  sat  at  the  prince's  table 
heard  that,  they  looked  askance  at  him. 

"  Nay,  good  youth,  liest  thou  not  ?  boastest  thou 
not?  "  said  Fair  Sun  Vladimir.  "  That  way  hath 
been  lost  these  thirty  years,  for  there  stand  great 
barriers  therein ;  accursed  Tatars  in  the  fields, 
black  morasses ;  and  beside  the  famed  Smorodina, 
amid  the  bending  birches,  is  the  nest  of  the  Night- 
ingale on  seven  oaks ;  and  that  Magic  Bird  hath 
nine  sons  and  eight  daughters,  and  one  is  a  witch. 
He  hath  permitted  neither  horse  nor  man  to  pass 
him  these  many  years." 

"  Nay,  thou  Fair  Sun  Prince  Vladimir,"  Ilya 
answered ;  "I  did  come  the  straight  way,  and  the 
Nightingale  Robber  now  sitteth  bound  within  thy 
court." 

Then  all  left  the  tables  of  white  oak,  and  each 
outran  the  other  to  view  the  Nightingale,  as  he 
sat  bound  to  the  steel  stirrup,  with  one  eye  fixed 
on  Kief  town  and  the  other  on  Chernigof  from 
force  of  habit.  And  Princess  Apraxia  came  forth 
upon  the  railed  balcony  to  look. 

55 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

Prince  Vladimir  spoke  :  "  Whistle,  thou  Night- 
ingale, roar  like  an  aurochs,  hiss  like  a  dragon." 

But  the  Nightingale  replied  :  "  Not  thy  captive 
am  I,  Vladimir.  'Tis  not  thy  bread  I  eat.  But 
give  me  wine." 

"  Give  him  a  cup  of  green  wine,"  spake  Ilya, 
"  a  cup  of  a  bucket  and  a  half,  in  weight  a  pood 
and  a  half,  and  a  cake  of  fine  wheat  flour,  for  his 
mouth  is  now  filled  with  blood  from  my  dart." 

Vladimir  fetched  a  cup  of  green  wine,  and  one 
of  the  liquor  of  drunkenness,  and  yet  a  third  of 
sweet  mead ;  and  the  Nightingale  drained  each  at 
a  draught.  Then  the  Old  Kazak  commanded  the 
Magic  Bird  to  whistle,  roar  and  hiss,  but  under  his 
breath,  lest  harm  mJght  come  to  any. 

But  the  Nightingale,  out  of  malice,  did  all  with 
his  full  strength.  And  at  that  cry,  all  the  ancient 
palaces  in  Kief  fell  in  ruins,  the  new  castles  rocked, 
the  roofs  through  all  the  city  fell  to  the  ground, 
damp  mother  earth  quivered,  the  heroic  steeds  fled 
from  the  court,  the  young  damsels  hid  themselves, 
the  good  youths  dispersed  through  the  streets,  and 
as  many  as  remained  to  listen  died.  Ilya  caught  up 
Prince  Vladimir  under  one  arm  and  his  Princess 
under  the  other,  to  shield  them ;  yet  was  Vladimir 
as  though  dead  for  the  space  of  three  hours. 

"  For  this  deed  of  thine  thou  shalt  die,"  spake 
Ilya  in  his  wrath,  and  Vladimir  prayed  that  at 
least  a  remnant  of  his  people  might  be  spared. 

The  Nightingale  began  to  entreat  forgiveness, 
and  that  he  might  be  allowed  to  build  a  great 
monastery  with  his  ill-gotten  gold.  "  Nay,"  said 
Ilya,  "  this  kind  buildeth  never,  but  destroy eth 
alway." 

With  that  he  took  Nightingale  the  Robber  by  his 
white  hands,  led  him  far  out  upon  the  open  plain, 
fitted  a  burning  arrow  to  his  stout  bow,  and  shot  it 

56 


ILYA  AND   NIGHTINGALE 

into  the  black  breast  of  that  Magic  Bird.  Then 
he  struck  off  his  turbulent  head,  and  scattered  his 
bones  to  the  winds, ^  and  mounting  his  good  Cloud- 
fall,  came  again  to  Prince  Vladimir. 

Again  they  sat  at  the  oaken  board,  eating  savoury 
viands  and  white  swans,  and  quaffing  sweet  mead. 
Great  gifts  and  much  worship  did  Ilya  receive,  and 
Vladimir  gave  command  that  he  should  be  called 
evermore  Ilya  of  Murom  the  Old  Kazak,  after  his 
native  town. 

^  A  Little  Russian  legend  states  that  Ilya  in  his  wrath 
chopped  Nightingale  into  poppy  seeds;  and  from  those  poppy 
seeds  come  the  sweet-voiced  and  harmless  nightingales  of  the 
present  day. 


57 


Bold  Alyosha  the  Pope's  Son 

FROM  famous  Rostof,  that  fair  town,  rode 
forth  two  mighty  heroes,  like  two  bright 
falcons  soaring.  Alyosha  ^  Popovich  (the 
pope's  dear  child)  and  Akim  ^  Ivanovich  were  they 
hight.  Shoulder  to  shoulder  rode  the  warriors, 
heroic  stirrup  pressed  to  stirrup. 

And  as  they  roamed  the  open  plain,  they  saw 
nothing, — no  birds  flying  overhead,  nor  beast  fleet 
coursing  over  the  plain.  They  found  but  three 
broad  roads  lying  upon  the  steppe,  and  where 
these  ways  met,  a  burning  stone  and  a  writing 
thereon. 

Then  said  young  Alyosha :  "  Thou,  brother 
Akim  Ivanovich,  art  learned  in  the  lore  of  schools. 
Look  now  upon  this  writing  on  this  stone,  and 
interpret  to  me  its  meaning." 

So  Akim  leaped  from  his  good  steed,  and  looked 
upon  the  writing,  and  found  the  three  broad  ways 
depicted  therein. 

The  first  way  lay  to  Murom,  the  second  to 
Chernigof,  the  third  to  Kief  town  and  courteous 
Prince  Vladimir. 

Said  Akim  :  "  Ho  there,  brother,  young  Alyosha 
Popovich  !  Which  way  doth  it  please  thee  to 
ride?" 

^  A  diminutive  formed  from  Alexander,  through  Alexei.  See 
Appendix. 

-  Popvdar  for  Joachim. 

58 


BOLD   ALYOSHA   THE   POPE'S   SON 

And  young  Alyosha  answered  :  "  Better  will  it 
be  for  us  to  go  to  Kief  town,  to  courteous  Prince 
Vladimir." 

So  they  Avheeled  their  good  steeds  about,  and 
rode  to  Kief  town. 

Ere  they  reached  the  Safat  river,  they  halted 
amid  green  meadows  (for  Akim  must  needs  feed 
the  horses).  There  they  pitched  two  pavilions, 
for  Alyosha  desired  greatly  to  sleep.  And  when 
young  Akim  had  hobbled  the  good  steeds,  and 
loosed  them  in  the  green  meadow,  he  lay  down 
likewise  in  his  own  pavilion  to  slumber. 

The  autumn  night  passed.  Alyosha  awoke  right 
early,  rose,  washed  himself  in  the  dews  of  dawn, 
dried  himself  upon  a  white  cloth,  and  prayed  God 
toward  the  East.  Then  young  Akim  went  to  the 
good  steeds,  and  led  them  to  the  Safat  stream  to 
water  them,  for  Alyosha  had  commanded  him 
to  saddle  them  with  speed;  and  when  this  was 
done  they  mounted,  and  made  ready  to  go  to  Kief 
town. 

As  they  rode,  there  met  them  in  the  way  a  wan- 
dering psalm-singer.  His  foot-gear  was  woven  of 
the  seven  silks,  soled  with  pure  silver,  and  the  faces 
were  studded  with  red  gold.  His  long  mantle  was 
of  sable,  his  hat  from  Sorochinsky,  from  the 
Grecian  land ;  his  travelling  whip  weighed  thirty 
poods,  his  cudgel  moulded  of  heaviest  lead  weighed 
fifty.     He  spoke  this  word  : 

"  Hail,  bold  and  goodly  youths  !  I  have  seen 
Tugarin  the  Dragon's  Son.  His  stature  is  three 
fathoms,  and  the  breadth  across  his  shoulders  is  a 
full  fathom;  the  space  between  his  eyes  is  an 
arrow's  length.  The  horse  beneath  him  is  like  a 
wild  beast;  from  his  throat  flames  flash,  from  his 
ears  smoke  riseth  in  a  pillar," 

Then  bold  Alyosha  Popovich  bade  the  psalm- 
59 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

singer  yield  his  pilgrim  garb,  and  receive  Alyosha's 
heroic  raiment  in  exchange.  So  the  pilgrim  re- 
fused not,  but  gave  his  garments  to  Alyosha,  and 
put  on  the  heroic  raiment.  And  with  speed  did 
Alyosha  array  himself,  as  a  wandering  Kalyeka,^ 
took  the  staff  of  fifty  poods  and  a  dagger  of  dam- 
ascened steel,  lest  he  should  have  need  of  it,  and 
went  to  the  Safat  river.  There  he  found  Tugarin 
Dragon's  Son,  roaring  in  a  huge  voice  :  the  green 
oaks  trembled,  and  Alyosha  could  hardly  walk 
for  that  roaring. 

When  young  Tugarin  beheld  the  pilgrim,  he 
demanded  of  him,  what  he  had  seen  or  heard  of 
young  Alyosha,  Pope's  Son,  for  he  would  fain 
thrust  him  through  with  his  lance,  and  burn  him 
with  fire. 

Pilgrim  Alyosha  answered:  "Come  nearer; 
for  I  hear  not  what  thou  sayest."  Then,  when 
Tugarin  drew  near,  Alyosha  set  himself  against 
him,  brandished  his  staff  about  his  head,  and  smote 
Tugarin's  tempestuous  head,  and  broke  it.  Tuga- 
rin fell  to  the  damp  earth,  and  Alyosha  sprang 
upon  his  black  breast :  whereupon  young  Tugarin 
besought  him  : 

"  Hail,  thou  wandering  psalm-singer  !  Art  thou 
not  young  Alyosha  Popovich  ?  If  thou  be  he  in 
very  truth,  let  us  now  swear  brotherhood." 

But  Alyosha  trusted  not  his  enemy.  He  smote 
off  his  turbulent  head,  drev/  off  his  flowered  gar- 
ments (their  value  was  one  hundred  thousand 
roubles),  put  them  all  on  himself,  mounted  his  good 
steed,  and  set  out  for  his  white  pavilion. 

But  when  Akim  and  the  pilgrim  beheld  him,  they 
were  sore  afraid ;   they  mounted  their  good  steeds, 

^  Pilgrim,  psalm-singing  beggar :  the  professional  singers  of 
religious  songs  are  known  as  kolyehf  -perikozhie,  wandering 
psalm-singers. 

60 


BOLD   ALYOSHA  THE  POPE'S   SON 

and  rode  toward  Rostof  town.  But  young  Alyosha 
followed  and  outrode  them.  When  Akim  Ivan- 
ovich  saw  that,  he  turned  about,  drew  forth  his 
battle-mace  of  thirty  poods,  and  flung  it  behind 
him  (for  he  thought  from  the  garments  it  had  been 
young  Tugarin  Dragon's  Son),  and  struck  Alyosha's 
white  breast,  thrusting  him  from  his  Cherkessian 
saddle. 

Alyosha  fell  to  the  damp  earth.  Then  Akim 
sprang  down  from  his  good  steed,  and  would  have 
pierced  his  white  breast,  but  perceived  thereon  a 
wondrous  cross  of  gold,  and  so  said  to  the  pilgrim  : 

"  This  thing  hath  come  upon  me  for  my  sins — 
that  I  should  slay  mine  own  brother !  "  Then 
began  they  both  to  shake  and  rock  Alyosha,  and 
gave  him  hquor  from  beyond  the  sea ;  and  there- 
with he  became  whole  again,  and  they  fell  to 
converse  among  themselves,  and  to  changing  of 
raiment.  The  wandering  psalm-singer  put  upon 
him  once  more  his  pilgrim's  habit,  Alyosha  took 
again  his  heroic  garments,  and  laid  Tugarin  the 
Dragon's  Son's  flowered  apparel  in  his  saddle-bags. 
Then  they  mounted  their  good  steeds,  and  rode  to 
Kief  town  to  courteous  Prince  Vladimir. 

When  they  came  to  the  princely  court,  they 
lighted  down  from  their  good  steeds,  bound  them 
to  the  oaken  pillars,  and  entered  the  fair  hall. 
There  they  prayed  before  the  Saviour's  picture, 
touched  their  foreheads  to  the  ground,  doing 
homage  to  Prince  Vladimir,  Princess  Apraxia,  and 
on  all  four  sides.  Courteous  Prince  Vladimir 
inquired  their  names  and  their  country,  and 
Alyosha  made  answer  : 

"  Lord,  I  am  called  Alyosha  Popovich  :  I  come 
from  Rostof,  and  am  son  to  the  aged  pope  of  the 
cathedral." 

Then  Vladimir  rejoiced,  and  said  :  "  Hail, 
61 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

young  Alyosha  Popovich  !  According  to  thy  lineage, 
seat  thyself  in  the  great  place,  the  fore  corner ;  or 
in  the  second,  the  heroic  place,  on  the  oaken  bench 
over  against  me;  or  in  the  third  place,  whereso- 
ever thou  desirest." 

Alyosha  seated  himself  not  in  the  great  place, 
but  with  his  comrade  on  the  beam  of  the  oven- 
bench.  And  after  a  little  space,  lo  !  twelve  mighty 
heroes  bare  in  Tugarin  the  Dragon's  Son  on  a  great 
sheet  of  pure  gold,^  and  seated  him  in  the  great 
place  beside  the  Princess  Apraxia.  Then  they 
fetched  sugar  viands,  honeyed  drinks,  and  all 
foreign  liquors,  and  all  began  to  eat,  drink,  and 
make  merry. 

But  Tugarin  Dragon's  Son  ate  not  his  bread 
with  honour ;  he  thrust  a  whole  loaf  into  his  cheek 
(and  they  were  monastery  loaves  of  vast  size). 
And  not  with  honour  did  Tugarin  drink  :  he  gulped 
a  whole  cup  down  at  a  swallow,  and  the  measure 
of  that  cup  was  a  bucket  and  a  half. 

Then  spoke  up  bold  Alyosha  Popovich  :  "  Ho 
there,  courteous  lord.  Prince  Vladimir  !  What  lout 
is  this  that  is  come  to  the  court,  what  untutored 
fool  ?  For  he  sitteth  not  honourably  at  thy  table, 
but  layeth  his  hand  upon  the  Princess  Apraxia, 
kisseth  her  on  her  sugar  mouth,  and  jeereth  at 
thee,  Prince.  My  lord  and  father  had  an  old  dog, 
that  dragged  himself  Avith  labour  under  the  table, 
and  choked  himself  with  a  bone.  My  father  took 
him  by  the  tail,  and  flung  him  out  of  the  court- 
yard.    And  I  will  do  the  same  to  Tugarin." 

Tugarin  blackened  like  a  night  in  autumn,  and 
Alyosha  was  like  the  bright  moon. 

And  again  the  cooks  were  cunning,  and  fetched 

^  Bodies  have  been  found  in  the  hurgans  or  mounds,  between 
sheets  of  pure  gold ;  but  these  belong  to  ancient  Scythian  times. 

62 


BOLD   ALYOSHA  THE   POPE'S   SON 

savoury  viands  and  a  white  swan,  which  the  Princess 
essayed  to  carve ;  and  so  doing,  she  cut  her  left 
hand.  Then  she  wrapped  it  in  her  sleeve,  let  it 
hang  beneath  the  table,  and  said  :  "  Ah,  ye  heroes 
and  nobles  !  Fain  would  I  carve  the  white  swan, 
were  it  not  that  I  am  still  more  fain  to  gaze  upon 
this  sweet  youth,  Tugarin  Dragon's  Son." 

As  she  spoke,  Tugarin  seized  the  white  swan, 
and  suddenly  swallowed  it  whole,  and  therewith 
yet  another  great  round  loaf.     Alyosha  said  : 

"  Courteous  Lord  Vladimir  !  What  boor  and 
unpolished  dullard  is  this  that  sitteth  here?  He 
thrusteth  whole  loaves  into  his  cheek,  and  maketh 
but  a  mouthful  of  a  white  swan.  My  lord  and 
father.  Pope  Feodor  of  Rostof,  had  a  miserable  old 
cow.  With  pain  she  dragged  herself  to  the  court- 
yard, and  broke  into  the  kitchen,  where  she  drank 
a  keg  of  spiced  small  beer, — and  burst.  Pope 
Feodor  took  her  by  the  tail,  and  swung  her  upon 
the  hill.  So  also  will  I  do  to  Tugarin  the  Dragon's 
Son." 

At  this  word,  Tugarin  turned  black  as  an  autumn 
night,  plucked  out  his  steel  dagger,  and  flung  it 
at  Alyosha.  But  Alyosha  was  nimble,  and  Tugarin 
could  not  touch  him.  Akim  Ivanovich  seized  the 
dagger,  and  said  to  Alyosha  : 

"  Wilt  thou  cast  it  at  him  thyself,  or  dost  thou 
command  me  to  hurl  it?  " 

"  I  will  neither  cast  it,  nor  command  thee.  To- 
morrow I  will  meet  him,  I  will  lay  a  great  wager 
with  him — not  of  a  hundred  roubles,  nor  yet  of  a 
thousand;  but  my  tempestuous  head  shall  be 
my  stake." 

Then  sprang  all  the  princes  and  nobles  to  their 
nimble  feet,  and  backed  Tugarin.  The  princes 
staked  a  hundred  roubles,  the  nobles  fifty  each,  the 
peasants  five.     And  the  trading  guests  who  chanced 

63 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

there,  staked  on  Tugarin  all  their  three  vessels, 
and  all  the  foreign  merchandise  that  stood  on  the 
swift  Dnyepr.  Alyosha's  only  backer  was  the  ruler 
of  Chernigof. 

Then  Tugarin  rose  in  haste,  went  forth,  mounted 
his  good  steed,  spread  his  paper  wings,  and  flew 
through  the  air. 

The  Princess  Apraxia  sprang  to  her  nimble  feet, 
and  began  to  upbraid  Alyosha  Popovich. 

"  Thou  villager,  thou  rustic  lout !  thou  wouldest 
not  let  my  sweet  friend  tarry  !  " 

But  Alyosha  heeded  not  her  words ;  he  rose,  and, 
having  called  his  comrade,  hastened  forth. 

They  mounted,  and  rode  to  the  Safat  river,  and 
pitched  their  white  pavilions;  preparing  to  rest, 
they  loosed  their  horses  in  the  green  meadow. 
All  that  night  Alyosha  slept  not,  but  besought  God 
with  tears  :  "  Fashion,  O  God,  a  threatening  cloud, 
send  a  cloud  with  rain  and  hail !  " 

Alyosha's  prayers  came  to  Christ  the  Lord.  God 
sent  the  cloud,  and  wet  Tugarin's  paper  wings,  so 
that  he  fell  like  a  dog  upon  the  damp  earth.  Then 
Akim  came  and  told  Alyosha  that  he  had  seen 
Tugarin  stretched  upon  the  earth ;  and  Alyosha 
arrayed  himself  with  speed,  mounted  his  good 
steed,  took  his  sharp  sword,  and  rode  against 
Tugarin  the  Dragon's  Son. 

When  Tugarin  beheld  Alyosha,  he  roared  in  a 
piercing  voice  :  "  Ho  there,  young  Alyosha  Popo- 
vich !  Shall  I  burn  thee  with  fire,  or  trample  upon 
thee  with  my  horse,  or  impale  thee  upon  my  lance  ?  " 

"  Hail,  young  Tugarin  Dragon's  Son,"  Alyosha 
answered,  "  thou  didst  lay  a  great  wager  with  me, 
to  contend  and  fight  in  single  combat;  but  now 
there  is  neither  strength  nor  daring  left  in  thee 
against  me."  Then,  when  Tugarin  glanced  behind 
him,    Alyosha    sprang    forward    with    speed,    and 

64 


BOLD  ALYOSHA  THE  POPE'S   SON 

hewed  off  his  head.  As  the  head  fell  upon  the 
damp  earth,  it  was  like  a  beer-kettle. 

Then  Alyosha  leaped  from  his  good  steed,  un- 
coiled the  cord  from  his  horse,  pierced  Tugarin's 
ears,  bound  the  head  to  his  horse;  and  having 
brought  it  to  Kief  in  this  fashion,  he  flung  it  into 
the  midst  of  the  royal  courtyard. 

When  Prince  Vladimir  beheld  Alyosha,  he 
entered  his  fair  hall,  seated  himself  at  his  richly 
decked  table,  and  bade  the  banquet  proceed  for 
Alyosha. 

After  it  had  continued  for  a  space,  Prince 
Vladimir  spoke  :  "  Ho,  young  Alyosha  Popovich  ! 
In  one  moment  thou  hast  given  me  solace.  Dwell 
henceforth  in  Kief  town,  I  pray  thee,  and  serve 
me.  Prince  Vladimir,  and  I  will  reward  thee  with 
love,  and  with  all  my  heart." 

This  prayer  bold  young  Alyosha  Popovich  dis- 
regarded not,  and  began  to  serve  Vladimir  with 
loyalty  and  truth. 

I  But  the  Princess  said :  "  Thou  villager  and 
rustic  lout !  Thou  hast  parted  me  and  my  dear 
friend,  young  Tugarin  the  Dragon's  Son." 

Thereto  Alyosha  made  answer  :  "  Little  mother, 
Princess  Apraxia,  I  had  almost  called  thee  then 
by  the  name  which  thou  hast  merited." 


05 


The  One  and   Forty  Pilgrims 

ON  the  open  plain  many  great  and  mighty 
heroes  assembled,  forty  bogatyrs  and  one; 
and  the  one  was  young  Kasyan  Mikailovich, 
their  ataman. 

They  halted  in  a  green  meadow,  dismounted 
from  their  good  steeds,  and  sat  down  in  a  circle  to 
hold  counsel  together ;  and  began  to  tell  exploits. 

They  told  whither  one  bold  and  goodly  youth 
had  journeyed,  how  a  certain  other  had  been  in 
many  lands  and  hordes,  which  one  had  slain  the 
accursed  Tatars,  and  which  the  infidels  for  ever 
accursed. 

When  young  Kasyan  Mikailovich  heard  the  dis- 
course of  these  mighty  heroes,  he  addressed  them 
thus  :  "  Greatly  have  ye  sinned  against  God,  ye 
mighty  warriors  !  For  many  turbulent  heads  have 
ye  slain  without  avail,  and  have  shed  hot  blood. 
Are  ye  therefore  agreed  to  what  I  shall  propose? 
Better  is  it  for  us  now,  to  disperse  our  great  host, 
and  go  to  Jerusalem  city  to  pray  God  in  the  holy 
sanctuary,  to  kiss  the  grave  of  the  Lord,  and  to 
bathe  in  Jordan  river,  that  our  sins  may  be  for- 
given. But  it  behoveth  us  to  lay  upon  ourselves 
a  great  vow,  ye  mighty  heroes  ! — not  to  rob  nor 
steal,  not  to  yield  to  woman's  charms,  nor  stain  our 
knightly  hands  with  blood. 

"  And  if  any  shall  offend  against  this  vow,  then 
66 


THE  ONE  AND  FORTY  PILGRIMS 

shall  his  nimble  feet  be  hewn  off  at  the  knee,  his 
white  hands  at  the  elbow;  his  clear  eyes  shall  be 
plucked  from  his  brow,  and  his  tongue  torn  out 
with  pincers ;  and  he  shall  be  buried  to  the  breast 
in  damp  mother  earth." 

This  in  no  wise  terrified  the  heroes,  and  they  all 
agreed  thereto.  Then  they  loosed  their  good  steeds 
upon  the  silken  grass,  to  roam  the  open  plain,  and 
donned  palmer's  weeds.  Over  their  heroic  shoulders 
they  threw  their  beggar's  pouches  of  black  cut 
velvet,  embroidered  in  red  gold,  and  strewn  with 
fair  seed-pearls.  On  their  heads  they  set  caps 
from  the  Grecian  land,  and  in  their  white  hands 
they  took  staves  of  precious  fishes'  teeth. ^  Their 
raiment  was  like  the  poppy  in  hue,  and  each  bore 
in  his  hand  a  precious  antaventa  stone.  By  day 
they  journeyed  by  the  fair  sun's  light;  by  night 
these  stones,  and  the  jewels  woven  into  their 
foot-gear  of  the  seven  silks,  lighted  them  on  their 
way. 

In  this  wise  wandered  the  good  youths  from 
horde  to  horde,  and  so  drew  near  to  glorious  Kief 
town.  In  the  open  plain  they  met  the  Fair  Sun 
Prince  Vladimir,  hunting  the  white  swan,  geese, 
and  small  gray  migratory  ducks,  foxes  and  hares, 
martens  and  sables  black. 

When  Prince  Vladimir  drew  near,  the  pilgrims 
shouted  in  piercing  tones  :  "  Vladimir,  Prince  of 
royal  Kief  !  give  alms  to  the  wandering  psalm- 
singers.  We  will  not  take  a  rouble,  nor  yet  a  rouble 
and  a  half;  but  whole  thousands  must  thou  give, 
yea,  forty  thousand  well  told  !  " 

Then  Prince  Vladimir  lighted  down  from  his 
good  steed,  and  greeted  them,  beseeching  them  to 

^  Walrus  tusk :  greatly  esteemed  in  the  Arkhangel  Govern- 
ment, and  used  for  fine  carvings. 

67 


EPIC   SONGS  OF  RUSSIA 

sing  him  the  spiritual  song  of  Elena,  for  he  was 
fain  to  hear  it  from  them. 

So  the  pilgrims  thrust  their  staves  into  the  damp 
earth,  and  hung  their  pouches  thereon,  and  stand- 
ing in  a  circle,  as  is  the  custom  with  wandering 
psalm-singers,  they  sang  the  psalm  of  Elena  in  a 
half  voice. 

— Mother  earth  trembled,  the  water  in  the  lakes 
surged,  the  gloomy  forests  shook,  and  on  the 
mountains  the  damp  oaks  bowed.  Vladimir  could 
neither  stand  nor  sit  nor  lie.  "  Enough  of  this 
psalm  of  Elena,  good  youths  !  "  he  cried.  So  the 
wandering  psalm-singers  took  their  velvet  pouches, 
and  made  ready  to  pursue  their  journey. 

Said  Prince  Vladimir  then  :  "  I  have  with  me 
neither  bread  nor  salt  nor  golden  treasure.  But' 
go  ye  to  Kief,  to  my  Princess  Apraxia;  she  will 
give  you  food  and  drink  and  lodging.  Go,  there- 
fore, to  my  princely  palace,  and  say  that  the  Fair 
Sun  Prince  Vladimir  sent  you  from  the  open  plain." 

So  they  journeyed  a  day,  and  yet  another  day, 
and  came  to  glorious  Kief  town  :  there  they  sought 
the  spacious  courtyard  of  the  palace,  and  besought 
alms  for  Christ's  sake.  At  their  piercing  cry,  the 
domes  tumbled  from  the  lofty  castles,  the  crowns 
from  the  trees;  mother  earth  quaked,  and  the 
liquors  in  the  cellars  grew  thick. 

The  Princess  Apraxia  heard  that  great  shout, 
and  thrust  herself  out  of  the  lattice  window  to  her 
waist,  quivering  exceedingly  with  terror.  Then 
she  sent  the  stewards  and  cupbearers  to  greet 
young  Kasyan  Mikailovich  and  his  companions, 
and  bid  them  enter. 

When  the  pilgrims  mounted  the  fair  porch,  step 
bent  to  step,  and  the  new  antechamber  sagged 
beneath  their  tread.  They  crossed  themselves  as 
enjoined,  prayed  before  the  Saviour's  picture,  did 

68 


THE   ONE   AND   FORTY  PILGRIMS 

reverence  as  prescribed  to  three  sides  and  to  four, 
and  in  particular  to  the  Princess  Apraxia. 

The  Princess  bade  them  welcome,  and  com- 
manded fair  cloths  to  be  laid  on  the  oaken  tables 
with  all  speed,  sugar  viands  to  be  brought,  and 
honeyed  drinks.  Then  all  sat  down  to  meat :  the 
pilgrims,  the  Princess  Apraxia,  with  her  nurses 
and  duennas,  and  her  fair  handmaidens.  Young 
Kasyan  Mikailovich  sat  in  the  great  place  of  honour, 
and  from  his  youthful  countenance  as  from  the  fair 
red  sun,  rays  streamed.  The  stewards  and  cup- 
bearers hastened  to  and  fro,  bearing  fair  meats  and 
drinks. 

They  feasted  long,  even  until  the  fair  sun  sank 
in  the  west.  Then  the  pilgrims  were  led  to  cham- 
bers where  they  might  repose;  but  the  Princess 
Apraxia  herself  led  young  Kasyan  to  a  fair  cham- 
ber apart,  where  stood  a  couch  of  smooth  boards 
with  bed  of  down,  heavy  cushions,  and  a  coverlet 
of  rich  black  sables. 

And  when  all  were  asleep  in  the  palace,  save 
young  Kasyan  who  was  praying  God,  the  Princess 
Apraxia  came  to  him,  and  told  him  of  her  love. 

But  young  Kasyan  recounted  to  her  the  great 
vow  which  he  had  taken,  and  bade  her  tempt  him 
not,  but  go  thence. 

Nevertheless  she  came  again,  and  yet  the  third 
time;  then  the  good  youth  seized  his  stout  cudgel 
and  brandished  it,  and  bade  her  begone,  or  he 
would  smite  her  until  she  fell  upon  the  brick  floor. 
At  that  she  was  troubled,  and  went  thence;  but 
when  Kasyan  had  fallen  into  a  deep  sleep,  the 
Princess  crept  down  from  the  glazed  oven,  took 
his  pouch  of  rich  velvet,  ripped  it  open  and  placed 
therein  the  silver  bratina,i  from  which  the  Prince 

^  A  peculiar  sort  of  bowl  or  loving-cup  which  was  passed 
round  the  table  at  the  beginning  of  a  feast.     These  cups  are 

69 


EPIC   SONGS  OF   RUSSIA 

was  wont  to  drink,  on  his  return  from  the  field; 
then  she  sewed  up  the  velvet  again  so  that  it  might 
not  be  perceived. 

The  next  morning  very  early,  the  one  and  forty 
pilgrims  arose,  washed  themselves  very  white,  put 
on  their  shoes,  and  prayed  to  God.  The  Princess 
commanded  the  oaken  tables  to  be  served ;  and 
when  the  pilgrims  had  eaten  and  drunk  their  fill, 
they  prayed  God  for  the  Fair  Sun  Prince  Vladimir, 
returned  thanks  to  the  Princess  Apraxia,  swung 
their  heroic  pouches  on  their  heroic  shoulders, 
bowing  low,  and  set  out  for  Jerusalem. 

A  little  space  after  their  departure.  Fair  Sun 
Vladimir  came  from  the  open  plain,  and  sat  down 
to  eat  and  drink.  Then  the  cupbearers  began  to 
search  for  the  royal  bratina,  through  all  the  palace, 
and  Vladimir  said  : 

"  Which  of  you  hath  taken  the  royal  cup  ?  " 

The  Princess  Apraxia  made  answer  in  their 
stead  :  "  Ai,  Fair  Sun  Prince  Vladimir  !  there  came 
hither  from  the  open  plain,  sent  by  thee,  forty 
psalm-singers  and  one.  Is  it  not  they,  perchance, 
who  have  carried  off  the  royal  cup  ?  For  they 
lodged  here  one  night,  and  are  but  lately  departed 
hence.     They  have  taken  thy  royal  cup  !  " 

Then  Prince  Vladimir  gave  command  in  haste, 
that  his  mighty  heroes  should  ride  after  the  pil- 
grims.    But  Ilya  of  Murom  warned  him  : 

"  Ai,  Fair  Sun  Vladimir  !  these  be  no  wandering 
psalm-singers,  but  one  and  forty  heroes  bold,  and 
whom  have  we  to  send  against  them?  " 

"  Let  us  send  bold  Alyosha  Popovich,"  quoth 

usually  globular  in  form,  with  a  lip  like  a  band  contracting 
inwards,  which  generally  bears  an  inscription  in  Slavonic  charac- 
ters, such  as  :  "  Cup  for  going  the  round ;  pour  into  it  that  which 
refreshes  the  mind,  corrupts  the  morals,  and  divulges  all  secrets  " ; 
' '  I  am  the  slippery  path  of  truth,'*  etc. 

70 


THE  ONE  AND  FORTY  PILGRIMS 

Vladimir.     So  Alyosha  was  despatched,  and  bidden 
to  speak  them  fair. 

But  Alyosha  was  not  courteous  by  nature,  and 
\vhen  he  came  up  with  them,  and  beheld  them 
sitting,  eating  bread  and  refreshing  themselves,  he 
cried  : 

"  Ho  there  !  ye  are  not  wandering  psalm-singers, 
but  forty  thieves  and  robbers  !  Yield  now  peace- 
ably the  royal  cup  which  ye  have  stolen  !  " 

Then  sprang  young  Kasyan  Mikailovich  to  his 
nimble  feet,  grasped  his  travelling  cudgel,  and 
flourished  it  widely. 

"  Did  we  go  to  Kief  town  for  your  royal  bra- 
tina?"  quoth  he.  "Nay,  but  I  will  give  thee 
the  cup." 

Alyosha  beheld  with  great  terror  that  there  was 
nothing  to  be  done,  and,  wheeling  his  good  steed 
about  in  haste,  returned  again  to  Kief.  To  Prince 
Vladimir  he  said  that  the  brigands  had  set  upon 
him  when  he  asked  for  the  royal  cup,  and  had 
nearly  unhorsed  him,  so  that  he  had  escaped  with 
difficulty. 

Again  spoke  the  old  Kazak  :  "  Heed  not  that 
darmg  fool  Alyosha,  Prince  Vladimir  !  for  I  know 
well  how  he  addressed  them.  There  is  none  for 
us  to  send  but  Dobrynya  Nikitich  :  lo  !  he  knoweth 
how  to  petition  with  courtesy." 

So  Dobrynya  gat  to  horse,  and  when  he  came 
upon  the  forty  and  one  sitting  on  the  open  plain, 
eating  and  refreshing  themselves,  he  cried  : 

"  Hail,  ye  forty  pilgrims  and  one  !  I  beseech 
your  hospitality." 

"  Come  hither,  good  youth,"  they  answered,  "  sit 
with  us,  eat  our  bread  and  salt." 

"  Ai,  ye  pilgrims,"  quoth  Dobrynya  :  "  how 
shall  I  tell  you,  good  youths?  There  is  a  great 
tumult  amongst  us  of  Kief. — For  the  royal  cup  of 

71 


EPIC   SONGS   OF  RUSSIA 

gold  is  lost ;  without  it,  the  Prince  will  not  taste  his 
mead.  I  pray  you,  therefore,  good  youths,  search 
your  pouches,  lest  it  may  have  strayed  into  them 
through  error." 

Then  each  looked  upon  the  other,  and  knew  not 
what  to  do.     Said  young  Kasyan  Mikailovich  : 

"  Dear  comrades,  pious  pilgrims  !  open  your 
pouches,  and  show  them  to  this  youth." 

All  the  pilgrims  rose  to  their  nimble  feet,  took 
their  pouches,  and  showed  to  young  Dobrynya  : 
but  the  royal  cup  was  not  in  them.  Last  of  all, 
young  Kasyan  Mikailovich  opened  his  pouch,  and 
lo  !  the  princely  cup  was  there.  Then  all  were 
exceeding  wroth,  and  in  great  amaze,  and  said  : 

"  What  shall  we  do  with  thee  now,  young 
Kasyan  Mikailovich  ?  lo,  it  was  thyself  who  didst 
impose  that  great  vow." 

"  Beloved  comrades,"  young  Kasyan  made 
answer,  "  I  did  not  steal  the  royal  cup :  this  thing 
hath  the  Princess  Apraxia  contrived  because  I 
would  not  yield  to  her.  Nevertheless,  do  ye  now 
the  thing  commanded,  and  break  not  your  solemn 
vows." 

Then  they  all  wept  and  began  to  take  leave  of 
him;  and  though  it  was  very  grievous  to  them, 
they  fulfilled  their  vow.  They  hewed  off  his  nimble 
feet  to  the  knee,  his  white  arms  to  the  elbow, 
plucked  his  clear  eyes  from  his  brow  and  his 
tongue  from  his  mouth,  and  buried  him  to  the 
breast  in  damp  mother  earth.  Then  they  bade 
him  farewell,  as  a  dead  man,  and  betook  them- 
selves to  Jerusalem. 

Young  Dobrynya  Nikitich  looked  on  at  all  their 
deed,  then  rode  thence  with  all  speed,  bearing  the 
royal  cup,  and  came  to  Kief  town,  to  Prince  Vla- 
dimir's spacious  court,  gave  the  cup  to  the  Fair 
Sun,  and  related  the  marvel  he  had  seen ;  and  how 

72 


THE   ONE   AND   FORTY  PILGRIMS 

they  had  not  stolen  the  royal  cup,  which  was  found 
upon  them  by  mistake.  But  he  told  not  what  the 
Princess  Apraxia  had  done.  From  that  hour  the 
Princess  Apraxia  fell  ill  with  grief,  and  lay  on 
the  great  dungheap.  But  Prince  Vladimir  and 
many  of  his  heroes  made  ready  to  go  and  view  that 
great  marvel. 

But  before  them  came  Mikola  ^  of  Mozhaisk  to 
young  Kasyan  Mikailovich,  and  restored  his  nimble 
feet,  his  white  hands,  his  clear  eyes,  and  his  tongue  : 
he  put  breath  also  into  Kasyan' s  white  breast,  set 
him  on  his  nimble  feet,  and  spake  this  word  :  "  Go 
thy  way,  young  Kasyan  Mikailovich  !  thou  shalt 
find  thy  friends  at  their  first  halting-place.  The 
Lord  hath  sent  me  to  thee,  good  youth,  because 
thou  wert  wrongfully  slain,  not  having  stolen  the 
royal  cup.  Go  now  to  Jerusalem,  pray  God  in  the 
sanctuary,  kiss  the  Lord's  grave,  bathe  in  Jordan 
river.  And  when  thou  art  come  again  to  this 
our  land,  build  a  cathedral  church  to  Mikola  of 
Mozhaisk;    for  I  am  he." 

Then  the  hoary-headed  old  man  vanished. 
Young  Kasyan  went  his  way,  and  overtook  his 
companions  late  at  night.  He  found  them  eating 
bread,  and  marvelling  that  they  had  executed  him. 
But  when  they  beheld  him  fairer  than  before,  with 
his  long  curls  hanging  to  his  waist,  and  knew  that 
the  Lord  and  none  other  had  been  his  help,  they 
rejoiced  with  great  joy. 

When  Prince  Vladimir  and  his  heroes  came  to 
the  spot  where  Kasyan  had  been  slain,  and  found 
the  deep  pit  wherein  he  had  been  sunk  to  the 
breast,  but  found  him  not,  they  were  in  great 
amaze,  and  returned  to  Kief  town. 

After  the  forty  pilgrim-heroes  and  one  had  made 
their  pilgrimage  to  Jerusalem,  they  returned  again 
1  St.  Nicholas. 
73 


EPIC   SONGS   OF  RUSSIA 

to  where  they  had  left  their  good  steeds  roaming, 
and  rode  to  Kief  town,  to  Fair  Sun  Vladimir's 
spacious  court,  where  they  asked  alms  in  Christ's 
name,  that  they  might  have  the  wherewithal  to 
dine. 

Prince  Vladimir  heeded  their  mighty  shout 
which  shook  the  palace,  and  bade  them  enter,  and 
eat  his  bread.     But  they  answered  : 

"  Nay,  we  will  not  enter  thy  palace,  for  the 
Princess  Apraxia  is  there,  and  she  will  again  lay 
the  royal  cup  in  our  young  Kasyan  Mikailovich's 
pouch." 

So  they  told  Vladimir  what  the  Princess  had 
done  when  they  had  lodged  there,  and  how  the 
good  youth  whom  they  had  slain,  had  never- 
theless accompanied  them  to  Jerusalem.  Then 
Prince  Vladimir  sent  his  stewards  and  cupbearers 
to  make  obeisance  to  them  and  entreat  them  to 
enter. 

When  they  obeyed,  Prince  Vladimir  saluted 
young  Kasyan  courteously,  and  Kasyan  inquired 
how  it  fared  with  the  Princess  Apraxia; — if  she 
were  well.  Thereto  Vladimir  made  reluctant 
answer,  "  Let  us  not  go  to  her  for  a  week  or  two." 
Young  Kasyan  heeded  not  his  speech,  but  went 
straightway  with  the  Prince  to  her  chamber;  and 
as  they  went  the  Prince  held  his  nose,  but  Kasyan 
cared  not  for  the  odour.  They  opened  the  doors  of 
the  fair  chamber,  and  flung  wide  the  little  lattice 
casements.  The  Princess  prayed  to  be  forgiven ; 
thereupon  yormg  Kasyan  breathed  upon  her  with 
his  holy  breath,  laid  his  holy  hand  upon  her  and 
pardoned  her,  and  she  was  solaced ;  for  she  had 
suffered  much,  lying  in  shame  a  full  half-year. 

Then  young  Kasyan  returned  with  Prince  Vladi- 
mir to  the  banquet-hall,  prayed  before  the  Saviour's 
picture,  and  sat  down  with  his  comrades  at  the 

74 


THE   ONE   AND   FORTY   PILGRIMS 

richly  adorned  tables.  They  ate  and  drank  and 
refreshed  themselves;  and  when  they  would  have 
pursued  their  journey,  courteous  Prince  Vladimir 
besought  them  urgently  to  abide  yet  a  day  with  him. 

Young  Princess  Apraxia  also  came  forth  from 
her  retreat,  arrayed  herself  with  speed,  and  adorned 
herself,  and  came  to  the  table  with  her  nurses, 
ladies  in  waiting  and  fair  handmaidens.  Young 
Kasyan  she  saluted  without  shame  or  confusion, 
though  her  sin  lay  in  her  mind,  and  Kasyan  waved 
his  small  right  hand  over  the  sugar  viands,  hedg- 
ing them  about  with  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and  a 
blessing. 

When  all  had  feasted  their  fill,  they  saddled 
their  good  steeds,  and  having  taken  leave  of  court- 
eous Prince  Vladimir  and  of  each  other,  they  rode 
each  to  his  own  country. 

And  none  of  these  forty  heroes  and  one  ever 
again  roamed  the  open  plain  seeking  adventures, 
nor  stained  their  white  hands  with  blood. 

When  young  Kasyan  Mikailovich  came  to  his 
own  land,  he  raised  a  cathedral  church  to  Mikola 
of  Mozhaisk,  and  began  to  pray  constantly  to  God, 
and  to  repent  of  his  sins. 


75 


Ilya  in  Disguise 


ON  a  day,  as  Ilya  rode  in  the  open  plain, 
he  communed  thus  with  himself  :  "  Lo,  I 
have  been  in  many  lands,  but  'tis  long 
since  I  was  in  Kief  town;  I  will  ride  thither,  and 
learn  what  is  doing  there." 

When  he  came  to  the  palace  in  the  royal  city, 
Prince  Vladimir  was  holding  a  merry  feast.  Ilya 
entered  straight  the  banquet  hall,  crossed  himself 
as  prescribed,  did  reverence  as  enjoined,  bowing  on 
all  four  sides,  and  to  the  Fair  Sun  Prince  Vladimir 
and  the  Princess  Apraxia  in  particular.  But 
Vladimir  knew  him  not. 

"  What  is  thy  name  and  tribe  ?  "  he  asked ;  "  and 
what  thy  patronymic?  " 

And  Ilya  made  answer  :  "  Bright  Vladimir,  Fair 
little  Sun !  I  am  called  Nikita  from  beyond  the 
Forest." 

"  Ho  there,  thou  brave  and  free  little  fellow  ! 
Sit  down  with  us  now,  to  eat  bread  and  to  feast : 
there  is  yet  a  little  place  yonder  at  the  lower  end 
of  the  table ;  the  other  places  are  filled.  For 
prince-nobles,  rulers,  rich  merchants  and  bold  war- 
rior-maids hold  feast  with  me  to-day,  and  sixty 
great  Russian  heroes." 

The  Old  Kazak  liked  not  this  speech, — that  he 
should  break  bread  at  the  lower  end  of  the  table; 
and  he  said  this  word  :    "  And  ho,  thou  Fair  Sun 

76 


ILYA  IN  DISGUISE 

Prince  Vladimir  !  Thou  eatest,  feastest  with  the 
crows  thyself,  yet  seatest  me  with  the  little  crows  ? 
Nay  !     but   I    will   not    eat   bread    with    nursling- 


crows 


This  speech  in  turn  pleased  not  the  Fair  Sun 
Prince.  He  sprang  to  his  nimble  feet,  clouding 
over  like  the  dusky  night,  and  roared  as  he  had 
been  a  wild  beast. 

"  Ho  there,  ye  mighty  Russian  heroes  !  Will 
ye  hear  yourselves  called  crows — yea,  and  little 
crows  ? — Seize  the  fellow,  ye  heroes,  three  by  each 
arm;  lead  him  into  the  spacious  court,  and  there 
strike  off  his  turbulent  head." 

They  led  him  forth ;  but  Ilya  waved  one  hand, 
and  three  heroes  lay  dead;  he  waved  the  other 
hand,  and  the  other  three  fell  dead  likewise. 

Then  Prince  Vladimir  commanded  that  twelve 
should  seize  him;  and  with  them  it  fared  the 
same.  Then  twelve  grasped  him,  with  six  more 
behind;  and  these  eighteen  met  their  fate  like- 
wise, for  Ilya's  heroic  heart  burned  within  him 
when  he  was  thus  led  out  with  ignominy. 

He  fitted  an  arrow  to  his  stout  bow.  "  Fly,  my 
shaft,  about  the  princely  windows,"  he  conjured 
it ;  "  bear  off  all  the  golden  spires,  and  the  wonder- 
working crosses  on  God's  temples." 

Then  he  gathered  up  all  the  spires  and  crosses, 
went  to  the  royal  pot-house,  sold  the  precious  spires 
for  countless  treasure,  and  began  to  drink  up  the 
imperial  roofs  in  green  wine.  He  assembled  also 
all  the  hangers-on  of  the  pot-house,  sots,  and  all 
who  could  drink  green  wine,  led  them  into  the 
kabak,  and  bade  them  help  him  drink  the  princely 
spires. 

"  What  will  the  Prince  do,"  said  they,  "  when 
he  knoweth  that  we  are  drinking  his  royal  spires  ?  " 

"  Drink,  boon  companions  !  care  ye  not  for 
77 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

that.  To-morrow  I  shall  reign  as  Prmce  in  Kief 
town,  and  ye  shall  be  my  chiefs." 

— Fair  Sun  Vladimir  of  royal  Kief  perceived 
that  a  great  misfortune  was  at  hand,  and  knew  not 
who  it  might  be  that  was  come  thus  to  town.  But 
young  Dobrynya  Nikitich  spoke  up  :  "I  know  all 
the  mighty  heroes  save  one, — the  Old  Kazak  Ilya 
of  Murom,  Of  him  I  have  heard  that  his  death 
is  not  decreed  in  battle.  This  is  no  Nikita  from 
beyond  the  Forest.  It  is  Ilya  of  Murom.  Thou 
hast  not  known,  Vladimir,  how  to  welcome  thy 
guest  on  his  coming,  nor  honour  him  at  his 
going." 

"  Whom  shall  we  send  to  bid  him  to  an  honour- 
able feast?"  said  Vladimir  in  amaze.  "Bold 
Alyosha  Popovich  will  not  know  how  to  bid  him, 
and  Churilo  Plenkovich  is  good  for  nothing  but 
to  strut  among  the  maids  and  women.  We  must 
send  a  clever  man,  who  can  read  and  write,  one 
whose  discourse  is  reasonable.  Go  thou,  therefore, 
Dobrynya  Nikitich ;  beat  thy  forehead  against  the 
brick  floor,  against  damp  mother  earth,  before  him, 
and  say  :  '  Prince  Vladimir  hath  sent  me  to  thee, 
thou  Old  Kazak,  Ilya  of  Murom,  to  bid  thee  to  a 
worshipful  feast.  He  knew  thee  not,  good  youth, 
and  for  that  cause  alone  did  he  place  thee  at  the 
lower  end  of  the  board  to  eat  his  bread.  But  now 
he  entreateth  thee  to  him  with  heartiness  and  great 
joy,  and  commands  thee  not  to  bear  ill  will  for 
what  is  past.  For  thy  place,  which  was  the  worst 
of  all,  shall  now  be  the  best,  to  wit,  in  the  great 
corner.' " 

Then  Dobrynya  thought  within  himself  :  "  Shall 
I  not  go  to  sudden  death  at  Ilya's  hands?  But 
if  I  obey  not  Fair  Sun  Prince  Vladimir,  it  will  fare 
ill  with  me." 

So  he  betook  himself  to  the  imperial  pot-house, 
78 


ILYA  IN  DISGUISE 

where  sat  Ilya  of  Murom  drinking  and  carousing 
with  the  brawlers." 

"It  is  better  that  I  should  approach  him  from 
behind  !  "  thought  Dobrynya.  And  so  he  did,  and 
seized  Ilya  by  his  mighty  shoulders,  and  delivered 
his  message. 

"  Happy  art  thou,  young  Dobrynya  Nikitich," 
quoth  the  Old  Kazak,  "  in  that  thou  camest  upon 
me  from  behind.  Hadst  thou  approached  me  from 
the  front,  thou  shouldst  have  become  ashes  ere 
now  !  Now  go,  and  say  these  words  to  thy  Fair 
Sun  Prince  :  '  Let  strict  ukases  be  promulgated 
throughout  all  the  towns  of  Kief  and  Chernigof, 
that  all  the  pot-houses  and  drinking  places  of  what- 
ever sort  be  opened  freely  for  the  space  of  three 
days,  that  all  the  people  may  drink  green  wine 
without  price.  And  whoso  drinketh  no  green 
wine,  let  him  quaff  the  beer  of  drunkenness ;  and 
he  who  drinketh  that  not,  sweet  mead ;  that  all 
may  know  that  the  Old  Kazak  Ilya  of  Murom  is 
come  to  famous  Kief  town.'  Let  this  be  done,  and 
let  an  honourable  banquet  be  made,  or  the  Prince 
shall  reign  no  longer  than  until  to-morrow's 
morn  !  " 

Then  quickly,  quickly,  very,  very  quickly  and 
with  speed  ran  Dobrynya  to  Prince  Vladimir,  and 
quickly,  very,  very  quickly  were  the  stern  ukases 
issued,  and  a  mighty  banquet  prepared. 

And  vast  multitudes  assembled  in  the  pot- 
houses, not  to  eat  or  drink,  but  to  view  the  Old 
Kazak. 

When  Ilya  came  to  the  princely  palace,  he  did 
reverence  to  all,  and  to  the  Prince  and  Princess  in 
particular.  Then  Vladimir  rose  to  his  nimble  feet, 
and  spoke  :  "  Ho  there,  thou  Old  Kazak  Ilya  of 
Murom !  Here  is  a  place  for  thee  beside  me, 
either  on  my  right  hand  or  my  left,  and  yet  a  third 

79 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

place — wherever  it  pleaseth  thee  to  sit."  There- 
with he  took  Ilya  by  his  white  hands,  and  kissed 
him  on  his  sugar  mouth.  1*4 

And  as  they  sat  on  the  four-square  stools  about 
the  oaken  tables  laden  with  sweet  viands,  Ilya  took 
not  the  highest  place,  but  a  lesser,  and  put  the  sots 
from  the  imperial  pot-house  about  him.  And  they 
began  to  eat  and  drink  and  make  merry. 

Thus  was  Ilya  reconciled  to  courteous  Prince 
Vladimir. 


80 


Dobrynya  the  Dragon-Slayer, 
and   Marina 

FROM  far,  very  far  in  the  open  plain,  and 
farther  yet  in  the  valley,  fled  the  herd  of 
beasts,  of  wild  beasts  and  serpents  :  at  their 
head  ran  the  Skiper-beast,  with  woolly  hide,  crumpled 
horns,  and  little  hoofs  of  steel.  The  Skiper-beast 
fled  to  the  Dnyepr  river,  and  all  the  Dnyepr's  waters 
were  troubled.  Its  fair  steep  banks  quaked,  the 
delicate  tree-tops  fell  to  the  earth  in  concert, 
brothers,  when  they  heard  of  that  birth. — For  in 
Holy  Russia  the  Rich,  young  Dobrynya  ^  Nikitich 
was  born  that  day. 

When  Dobrynya  grew  to  man's  estate,  three 
years  he  feasted,  three  years  he  served  as  steward, 
three  more  he  stood  as  keeper  at  the  gate.  Yet 
no  fair  word  did  he  win  of  Vladimir,  or  soft  bread, 
but  only  a  good  steed. 

In  the  tenth  year,  courteous  Prince  Vladimir 
made  a  great  feast  in  royal  Kief  town,  whereat 
many  heroes  and  bold  warrior-maidens  were  as- 
sembled, eating  and  drinking  merrily.  Young 
Dobrynya  Nikitich  sat  at  the  end  of  the  oaken 
board,  and  spoke  : 

"  Fair  Sun  Vladimir  of  royal  Kief  !  I  have 
served  thee  long  in  thy  princely  court :  grant  me 
leave  now  to  wander  about  Kief,  through  its  narrow 
lanes." 

^  Dobrynya  is  partly  historical.     See  Appendix. 
G  81 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

"  Fly  not  forth,  young  sparrow,"  answered 
Prince  Vladimir,  "  young  Dobrynya,  gallop  not 
away." 

But  all  the  mighty  Russian  heroes  said  :  "  Go 
crave  permission  of  the  honourable  widoAv,  Afimya 
Alexandrevna,  thy  mother,  to  prowl  about  the 
narrow  lanes  of  Kief." 

This  Dobrynya  did,  and  his  mother  counselled 
him  :  "  Walk  through  all  the  streets  of  Kief  town, 
roam  the  little  alleys  at  thy  will;  only,  go  not  to 
the  vile  Princess  Marina  Ignatievna,  who  dwelleth 
in  a  certain  little  lane.  She  is  a  witch,  she  hath 
murdered  Prince  on  Prince,  many  Kings  and  Crown 
Princes,  nine  Russian  heroes,  clear  falcons  all,  and 
common  folk  without  number.  If  thou  goest  to 
that  Marina,  thou  wilt  lose  thy  life,  Dobrynya." 

The  next  day  Dobrynya  rose  right  early,  washed 
himself  very  white  in  spring  water,  took  his  stout 
bow,  his  quiver  of  fiery  arrows,  and  set  out.  As  he 
wandered  through  the  streets  and  many  narrow 
lanes,  he  shot  small  sparrows  on  the  halls,  blue 
doves  upon  the  chambers,  and  so  wandering,  came 
at  length  to  Marina's  lane.  Her  palace  was  richly 
adorned.  In  her  window  sat  a  dark-blue  dove  and 
his  mate  cooing,  yellow  bill  to  bill,  and  mouth  to 
mouth,  with  wing  enfolding  wing;  and  it  pleased 
not  Dobrynya  that  they  should  sit  thus.  He 
strung  a  silken  cord  to  his  bow,  and  fitted  thereto 
a  flaming  arrow,  and  shot  at  the  dove  and  his 
mate.  The  cord  sang  on  the  stout  bow,  but  his 
left  foot  slipped,  his  right  hand  trembled — the 
arrow  struck  not  the  dove  and  mate,  but  flew 
straight  to  the  lofty  palace,  through  the  lattice 
window  to  Marinushka  the  Vile,  and  slew  Tugarin 
Dragon's  Son  her  dear  friend  who  was  with  her 
there. 

Dobrynya  reflected  : — "  If  I  enter  that  palace 
82 


DOBRYNYA  AND   MARINA 

I  shall  lose  my  head;  if  I  enter  not— my  arrow." 
Then  he  sent  his  trusty  servant,  his  page,  for  the 
arrow.  "  Thou  miscreant,  Marina  !  give  back  our 
burning  arrow,"  quoth  the  page.  But  Marina 
said  :  "  Nay,  let  him  who  shot  the  arrow  come 
himself."  Thereupon  Dobrynya  entered  with  haste 
the  spacious  court,  and  with  courtesy  the  new 
halls  :  fairly  came  he  into  the  new  chamber,  and 
took  his  fiery  arrow. 

Marina  lay  upon  a  couch ;  in  her  right  hand 
was  a  fiery  dragon ;  on  her  left,  two  little  serpents. 
She  took  Dobrynya  by  his  white  hand,  by  his  silver 
ring,  kissed  his  sugar  mouth,  and  said  : 

"  Ah,  sweet  Dobrynya  Nikitich,  give  me  thy 
love  !  "  Dobrynya  made  answer  :  "  Sweet  Marin- 
ushka  Ignatievna,  I  will  not !  Thou  hast  slain 
nine  mighty  Russian  heroes,  and  art  minded  to 
slay  me  likewise."  Then  he  turned  from  the  new 
chamber,  and  went  forth  into  the  spacious  court, 
and  so  home  to  his  mother. 

Up  sprang  Marinushka  then,  seized  her  dagger, 
and  hacked  Dobrynya's  footsteps,  flung  them  into 
the  oven  painted  with  many  devices,  and  conjured 
them  with  a  powerful  incantation  :  "  Burn,  ye  foot- 
steps of  Dobrynya,  burn,  in  this  oven  of  many 
hues ;  and  may  his  spirit  likewise  burn  within  him 
for  me  !  As  I  cut  these  footsteps,  may  Dobrynya's 
dear  little  heart  cut  for  me  !  "  ^ 

Then  worse  than  a  sharp  knife  cut  Dobrynya's 
heroic  heart.  That  evening  he  ate  nothing,  at 
midnight  he  slumbered  not,  and  waited  only  for 
the  white  dawn. 

Early  rang  the  matin  bells,  and  very  early  he 
arose,  girt  on  his  sharp  sword,  and  went  to  the 

^  The  "  charm  of  footsteps  '*  practised  by  the  ancient  Grermans 
is  still  employed  in  a  slightly  different  form  among  the 
Burmese. 

88 


EPIC  SONGS  OF  RUSSIA 

cathedral  to  the  service ;  and  thence  to  Marina's 
dwelling. 

When  he  came  to  the  Princess,  he  bowed  low 
before  her;  but  she  rose  not,  sat  in  discourteous 
wise,  and  returned  not  his  salutation. 

"  Ah,  sweet  Marinushka,  give  me  thy  love  !  "  he 
said. 

"  What  need  is  there  for  thee,  young  Dobrynya, 
to  jest  and  make  merry  over  me  ?  Long  since  I 
sought  thy  love,  and  thou  lovedst  me  not : — and 
now  thou  cravest  it  of  me  !  Now  thou  art  in  my 
hands  !  If  I  will,  I  can  turn  thee  into  a  magpie, 
a  raven,  a  pig,  or  an  aurochs  with  golden  horns, 
silver  hoofs  and  velvet  hide,  or  into  a  frog  of  the 
under  world; — and  from  that  last  estate  there  is 
no  return  for  ever." 

Then  she  transformed  him  into  a  brown  aurochs, 
and  sent  him  forth  into  the  open  plain,  to  drink 
swamp  water  and  to  eat  marsh  grass,  to  be  chief 
over  the  nine  brown  aurochs  who  roamed  there — 
the  mighty  heroes  her  bridegrooms. 

And  as  Dobrynya  roamed  there,  a  golden-horned 
aurochs,  he  espied  a  flock  of  geese,  which  belonged 
to  Avdotya  Ivanovna,  his  beloved  aunt.  All  these 
did  he  trample  under  foot  to  the  last  gosling,  not 
one  did  he  leave.  Then  the  goose-herds  came  and 
made  complaint. 

"  Ai,  young  Avdotya  Ivanovna !  an  aurochs  with 
golden  horns  hath  trampled  under  foot  all  our 
geese;  not  one  hath  he  left  us,"  After  them 
followed  the  keepers  of  the  swans,  the  shepherds 
and  herdsmen,  with  the  same  complaint.  Not  a 
living  creature  of  all  their  flocks  and  herds  had 
the  golden  aurochs  spared.  Then  Avdotya  Ivan- 
ovna spoke : 

"  That  aurochs  of  the  golden  horns  is  my  well- 
beloved  nephew,  young  Dobrynya,  whom  Marina 

84 


DOBRYNYA   AND   MARINA 

the  Vile  hath  transformed."  But  when  the  guard- 
ians of  the  horses  came  and  told  how  the  aurochs 
had  dispersed  their  charge  over  all  the  plain,  spar- 
mg  none,  Avdotya  rose  in  wrath.  She  turned  her- 
self mto  a  magpie,  and  flew  to  Marina  the  Vile, 
perched  in  her  little  lattice  window,  and  began  to 
scold,  and  say  :  "  Vile  Princess  Marinushka  !  why 
hast  thou  transformed  Dobrynya  into  a  golden- 
horned  aurochs,  and  loosed  him  to  roam  the  open 
plam?  Turn  back  Dobrynya  from  his  aurochs 
form,  else  will  I  turn  thee  into  a  long-tailed  dog, 
and  the  children  shall  pursue  thee ; — into  a  magpie^ 
and  thou  shalt  hover  evermore  above  the  open 
plain  in  semblance  of  a  pie." 

Then  Marina  perceived  that  there  was  no  help, 
and  so  transformed  herself  into  a  gray  swallow' 
flew  to  the  open  plain,  and  alighting  upon  the 
aurochs'  golden  horns  chattered  and  said  :  "  Swear 
to  me,  Dobrynya  Nikitich— for  thou  hast  roamed 
the  field  and  art  weary,  the  bubbling  marshes  and 
art  tired— swear  now  a  great  oath  to  take  the 
golden  crown  with  me,  with  Marinushka,  and  I 
will  turn  thee  back  from  a  golden-horned  aurochs 
to  thine  own  shape  again." 

^^  "  Ah,  sweet  Marinushka  !  "  Dobrynya  answered, 
'  only  turn  me  from  this  form,  and  I  will  take  that 
great  oath.  I  will  wed  thee,  Marina,  and  will  even 
give  thee  the  little  lessons  wherewith  a  husband 
mstructeth  his  wife." 

Then  Marina  believed  him,  and  turned  him  into 
a  goodly  youth  as  of  old. 

"  Now  I  must  wed  thee  about  a  bush,  Marin- 
ushka," he  said,  "about  a  willow  bush  in  the 
open  plain."  So  three  times  about  the  willow  bush 
they  paced,  and  Dobrynya  called  Marina  his  wife,i 
and  set  out  with  her  for  royal  Kief  town. 

^  See  Appendix  :  Dobrynya  the  Dragon-slayer. 
S5 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

When  they  were  come  to  Marina's  lofty  palace, 
Dobrynya  commanded  the  servant : 

"  Ai,  my  trusty  servant !  prithee  a  cup  of  green 
wine;   yet  give  me  first  a  sharp  sword." 

Then  Marina  turned  him  into  a  little  ermine, 
and  began  to  frighten  him ;  but  the  ermine  escaped 
her  snares.  Then  she  turned  him  into  a  falcon, 
and  began  to  alarm  and  to  tease  the  falcon,  which 
waved  his  wings,  and  besought  the  Princess  Marina  : 

"  I  cannot  fly  as  a  falcon  should,  I  can  only 
wave  my  wings ;  grant  me  to  drain  a  cup  of  green 
wine." 

The  young  Princess  thereupon  transformed  him 
into  a  goodly  youth,  and  Dobrynya  shouted  : 

"  Ho  there,  my  trusty  servant !  a  cup  of  green 
wine  !  " 

But  the  trusty  servant  gave  him  very  quickly 
a  sharp  sword.  The  cup  of  wine  he  quaffed  not, 
but  brandished  his  sword,  and  cut  off  Marina's 
turbulent  head  for  her  ungentle  deeds. 

In  the  morning  he  went  to  his  warm  steam 
bath,  and  thither  came  princes  and  nobles. 

"  Hail,  Dobrynya  Nikitich,  with  thy  bride  !  " 
they  said. 

"  Hail,  ye  princes  and  nobles  and  all  the  Court 
of  Vladimir  !  Last  night  I  was  wedded,  brothers, 
and  no  longer  alone,  but  now  I  am  single  and  no 
longer  wedded.  I  have  cut  off  Marina's  turbulent 
head  for  her  ruthless  deeds ;  for  she  had  slain 
many  Russian  people.  Princes  and  their  heirs, 
Kings  and  Crown  Princes,  nine  mighty  Russian 
heroes,  and  of  common  folk  an  innumerable  host !  " 


86 


Ivan  Godinovich 

IN  Kief  town  dwelt  a  great  and  mighty  hero, 
Ivan  Godinovich,!  nephew  to  Prince  Vladi- 
mir.    Long  he  roamed  through  many  infidel 
lands ;  many  great  hosts  did  he  assemble,  frightened 
Tzars  and  slew  warriors. 

Upon  a  certain  day,  courteous  Prince  Vladimir 
made  a  great  supper,  whereat  sat  many  honourable 
widows.  Ivan  Godinovich  sat  with  eyes  fixed  upon 
the  floor,  eating  nothing,  drinking  nothing,  tasting 
not  the  white  swan. 

"  Ho  there,  Ivanushka !  "  spoke  Prince  Vladimir. 
"  Wherefore  art  thou  sad  ?  Is  not  thy  seat  to  thy 
liking?  Have  I  passed  thee  by  with  the  cup  of 
drunkenness  ?  Hath  the  fool  scoffed  at  thee,  hath 
a  black  raven  cawed  at  thee,  or  have  the  dogs 
barked?" 

"  None  of  these  things  have  come  to  pass,  Fair 
Sun  Prince  Vladimir,"  Ivanushka  replied.  "  But 
all  in  Kief  town  are  wedded  :    I  only  sit  alone." 

"  Why  then  dost  thou  not  wed  likewise,  Ivan 
Godinovich?  " 

"  Fain  would  I  wed,  lord,  but  that  may  not  be. 
Where  I  would  take,  there  I  am  refused  :  and 
where  they  would  give,  I  will  not  take." 

Then  spoke  courteous  Prince  Vladimir  :  "  Ho 
there,  Ivan  !  Sit  thou  on  this  folding-chair,  and 
write  a  letter." 

^  See  Appendix. 
87 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

So  Ivan  sat  upon  the  folding-chair,  and  wrote  a 
letter  of  wooing  to  Dmitry  the  rich  merchant  in 
Chernigof  town ;  and  Vladimir  the  Prince  set  his 
hand  to  it.  "  'Tis  not  thou,  Ivan  Godinovich, 
who  now  goest  a-wooing  : — 'tis  I,  Prince  Vladimir, 
who  woo." 

Then  quickly  did  Ivan  array  himself,  and  quickly, 
very,  very  quickly  and  with  speed  did  he  ride  to 
Chernigof  town,  one  hundred  and  eighty  versts  by 
measurement :  that  space  Ivan  compassed  in  two 
hours.  When  he  came  to  the  courtyard  of  Dmitry 
the  Merchant,  he  leaped  from  his  good  steed  and 
bound  him  to  the  oaken  pillar.  Then  he  entered 
the  fair  hall,  prayed  before  the  Saviour's  picture, 
did  reverence  to  Merchant  Dmitry,  and  laid  the 
letter  upon  the  round  table. 

Guest  ^  Dmitry  broke  the  seal,  looked  upon  it 
and  read  it. 

"  Foolish  Ivan  !  Senseless  Ivan  !  "  quoth  he. 
"  Thou  art  not  the  first,  Ivanushka  !  My  Avdotya 
is  now  betrothed  to  Tzar  Koschei  of  a  distant  land. 
If  I  give  her  to  a  Tzar,  she  will  be  a  Tzaritza,  and 
all  the  nobles  will  bow  before  her  in  homage ;  but 
if  I  give  her  to  thee,  she  will  be  a  serf,  and  must 
sweep  the  cottage  and  clean  the  stable.  But  I 
have  a  dog  in  my  courtyard ;  her  will  I  give  to 
thee." 

Then  was  Ivan  grieved  :  he  seized  the  letter  and 
ran  forth,  mounted  his  good  steed,  and  hastened 
with  what  speed  he  might,  to  Kief,  and  told  Prince 
Vladimir  all  that  had  passed. 

When  Prince  Vladimir  heard  how  Ivan  had  been 

^  The  ancient  name  for  a  merchant  of  the  highest  class.  In 
the  time  of  Ivan  the  Terrible,  according  to  the  Code,  a  Guest 
received  damages  to  the  extent  of  50  roubles  for  an  insult,  a 
common  merchant  5  r.,  a  boyarin  600  r.  The  comparative  rank 
indicated  had  long  prevailed,  probably  from  Vladimir's  day. 

88 


IVAN  GODINOVICH 

scorned,  he  was  grieved  for  Ivanushka's  sake,  tore 
the  black  curls  ^  from  his  head,  and  cast  them  upon 
the  brick  floor.     "  Take  her  not,  Ivan,"  he  said. 

Then  was  Ivan  wroth,  and  departed  from  the 
oaken  tables,  from  the  cloths  richly  patterned  with 
drawn-work;  leave  took  he  of  none,  but  opened 
the  doors  very  wide  and  shut  them  very  hard, 
thrusting  the  door-posts  aside. 

"  Ho  there,  Ivan  Godinovich  !  "  cried  courteous 
Prince  Vladimir  then,  "  Take  a  hundred  of  my 
men,  and  a  second  hundred  of  the  princely  nobles, 
and  yet  a  third  hundred  of  thine  own.  Go  in 
honour  to  woo,  and  if  they  give  not  the  maid 
willingly,  then  take  her  by  force." 

In  haste  did  the  youths  assemble,  and  prepare 
for  their  journey.  They  had  but  passed  the  swift 
Dnyepr  when  a  powdering  of  white  snow  fell,  and 
upon  this  light,  pure  snow  they  beheld  traces  of 
three  beasts.  The  first  trace  was  of  a  brown 
aurochs,  the  second  of  a  fierce  lion,  the  third  of  a 
wild  boar.  Then  Ivan  began  to  tell  off  the  youths 
in  companies.  He  sent  a  hundred  men  after  the 
brown  aurochs,  commanding  them  to  take  him 
with  care  and  without  bloody  wounds;  another 
hundred  sent  he  in  pursuit  of  the  fierce  lion,  and 
a  third  hundred  after  the  wild  boar, — these  like- 
wise must  be  taken  heedfully  and  without  dis- 
figuring wounds,  and  borne  to  royal  Kief,  to  great 
Prince  Vladimir. 

But  Ivan  himself  went  on  alone  to  Chernigof 
town,  rode  into  the  midst  of  Guest  Dmitry's 
spacious  court,  and  bound  his  good  steed  to  the 
oaken  pillar.  Then  he  entered  the  fair  chamber, 
and  prayed  before  the  Saviour's  picture,  but  did 
no  reverence  to  Dmitry  the  rich  merchant.     With 

^  Vladimir's  hair  is  sometimes  black,  though  generally 
golden. 

89 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

Dmitry  were  sitting  then  divers  of  the  Tatar  body- 
guard/ who  had  brought  a  garment,  in  value  one 
hundred  thousand  roubles,  from  the  Tzar  Koschei 
to  his  love  Avdotya  Dmitrievna. — The  Tzar  him- 
self was  but  three  versts  from  Chernigof,  and  with 
him  was  a  host  of  three  thousand  men. 

"  Give  me  thy  daughter,"  spoke  Ivan  Godi- 
novich. 

"  Thou  shalt  have  the  dog  in  my  courtyard," 
Dmitry  made  answer  as  before. 

"  I  shall  neither  ask  thee  much  nor  long  dis- 
pute," said  Ivan;  and  thereupon  he  rose  from  the 
hewn  wall  bench,  pushed  aside  the  silken  hangings, 
and  so  came  into  the  new  hall  where  sat  the  White 
Swan  weaving  linen.  "  Hail,  Avdotya  the  White 
Swan  !  "  he  said  in  greeting.  Upon  Avdotya's 
head  were  white  swans,  on  her  left  shoulder  black 
sables ;  on  her  right  shoulder  sat  bright  falcons ; 
on  the  frame  of  her  loom  perched  dark  blue  doves, 
and  on  her  loom-bench,  black  ravens  :  and  her 
face  was  like  the  first  fair  snows  of  autumn. 

"  And  hail  to  thee,  fair  Ivan  Godinovich,"  she 
answered;  then  left  her  delicate  linen,  took  Ivan 
by  his  white  hands,  kissed  his  sugar  lips,  and 
fondled  him. 

Then  Ivan  delayed  no  longer,  but  led  Avdotya 
forth  to  the  fair  hall.  There  she  began  to  weep 
and  to  say  :  "  Thou  hast  known,  my  father,  how  to 
feed  me  and  give  me  drink,  to  cherish  me  until 
I  had  attained  my  growth  :  but  one  thing,  my 
father,  thou  hast  not  known— how  to  give  me  in 
marriage  without  great  bloodshed  !  " 

To  this  the  Chernigovian  made  reply  :  "  Wilt 
thou  not  eat  bread  and  salt  with  me,  Ivanushka 
Godinovich  ?  "  2 

1  Ulani. 

-  "  Bread  and  salt  "  is  the  epic  euphuism  for  hospitality. 

90 


IVAN   GODINOVICH 

"  Thou  hast  not  refreshed  the  guest  at  his  com- 
ing," quoth  Ivan,  "  and  at  his  going  it  shall  not  be 
permitted  to  tliee." 

Said  Dmitry  :  "I  have  written  a  letter  to 
Kosehei  the  Deathless,  and  have  thereto  set  my 
hand,  and  he  shall  cut  off  thy  turbulent  head." 

"  When  Kosehei  cutteth  off  my  head,"  quoth 
Ivan,  "  then  will  be  the  fitting  hour  to  boast,  both 
for  him  and  for  thee." 

Then  he  set  Avdotya  on  his  good  steed,  and  rode 
forth  upon  the  open  plain.  After  they  had  forded 
many  streams,  night  overtook  them  on  the  plain; 
and  Ivan  pitched  a  pavilion  of  white  damask  linen 
for  himself  and  his  Avdotya. 

Now  when  the  news  came  to  Kosehei,  he  went 
forth  to  the  stable-yard,  took  a  foal  with  nine 
chains,  put  on  him  heroic  trappings,  girded  on  his 
broad  sword,  took  his  sharp  spear  and  his  battle- 
mace,  seized  on  the  way  his  steel  dagger,  and  rode 
forth  over  the  plain  until  he  came  to  Chernigof. 
There  he  learned  that  Ivan  Godinovich  had  in 
truth  carried  off  Avdotya  the  White  Swan,  and  he 
rode  in  pursuit. 

When  he  espied  the  pavilion  of  white  damask, 
he  shouted  in  a  piercing  voice  :  "  Dwelleth  there 
any  in  this  pavilion  of  fine  damask  ?  Let  him  who 
is  alive  therein,  come  forth  !  " 

Ivan  heard  this,  and  roused  himself,  good  youth, 
from  sleep,  came  forth,  and  washed  himself  with 
fresh  spring  water,  dried  himself  upon  a  towel 
of  fine  damask,  crossed  himself  as  prescribed,  did 
reverence  as  enjoined,  and  prayed  to  the  most 
wondrous  Saviour.  Then  he  mounted  his  good 
steed,  took  his  arms,  and  rode  at  Kosehei.  The 
adversaries  went  apart  about  the  space  of  three 
versts,  and  when  they  came  together  they  greeted 
each  other,  and  smote  each  other  with  their  Tatar 

91 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

spears,  but  yet  pierced  one  another  not.  Again 
they  rode  aside  about  three  versts,  came  at  each 
other,  saluted  courteously  and  brandished  their 
battle-maces. 

Ivan's  mace  fell  upon  Koschei's  head,  and 
Koschei  flew  from  his  good  steed.  Ivanushka  was 
cunning  :  he  Reaped  over  his  good  steed's  mane 
to  the  earth,  hurled  himself  upon  Koschei's  black 
breast,  undid  the  silken  loops,  unfastened  the 
buttons  of  pure  gold,  and  would  have  pierced  his 
black  breast,  and  taken  out  his  restive  heart  with 
his  liver.  But  he  had  forgotten  his  dagger  of 
damascened  steel,  and  shouted  with  a  great  voice  : 
"  Ho  there,  my  White  Swan  Avdotya !  Throw 
my  steel  dagger  from  the  white  pavilion  :  I  must 
needs  prick  Koschei's  black  breast,  and  draw  forth 
his  restive  heart." 

Avdotya  obeyed  his  behest,  and  fetched  the 
dagger.  But  when  Koschei  espied  her,  he  spoke 
this  word  : 

"  Bethink  thee,  Avdotya  the  White  Swan  !  If 
thou  livest  with  Ivan  thou  wilt  be  a  servant,  and 
must  bow  in  lowly  reverence  before  all  men  :  but 
I  will  make  thee  a  Tzaritza.  Many  lands  shall  do 
homage  to  thee,  and  all  nobles  shall  do  reverence 
to  thee.  Do  thou  therefore  seize  Ivan  by  his 
ruddy  curls,  and  drag  him  from  my  breast." 

And  Avdotya  listened  to  his  counsel.  She  flung 
the  dagger  far  out  upon  the  plain,  seized  Ivan  by 
his  ruddy  curls,  and  dragged  him  aside;  and  so 
Koschei  got  the  upper  hand.  As  he  sat  upon 
Ivan's  white  breast  he  opened  his  garments,  and 
would  have  taken  out  his  restive  heart,  and  his 
liver,  with  his  dagger  which  he  snatched  from  its 
sheath. 

But  Avdotya  had  compassion  on  Ivanushka,  and 
said  : 

92 


IVAN  GODINOVICH 

"  Pierce  not  Ivan's  white  breast,  Koschei,  pluck 
not  his  restive  heart  therefrom.  Let  us  rather  bind 
him  with  this  three-stranded  cord  to  yon  damp, 
ringbarked  oak."     And  they  did  so. 

As  Koschei  came  forth  from  the  white  paviHon, 
very  early  the  next  morning,  two  dark  blue  doves 
alighted  upon  the  damp  oak ;  and  he  told  Avdotya. 

"  Shoot  me  those  dark  blue  doves,"  quoth  the 
White  Swan,  "  for  I  would  fain  eat  of  them." 

Koschei  hearkened  to  her,  fitted  a  sharp  burning 
arrow  to  his  bow,  and  conjured  it : 

"  Fall  not,  my  arrow,  in  the  water  or  upon  the 
damp  earth;  but  fall,  my  shaft,  upon  the  damp 
oak  tree,  and  into  the  right  eye  of  the  blue  dove 
thereon." 

But  Ivan  conjured  in  his  turn  :  "  O  stout  bow, 
clear  burning  mother  arrow  !  fall  not  to  earth, 
strike  not  the  dove;  but  bound  back  from  this 
damp  oak,  and  pierce  Koschei's  black  breast,  drag 
forth  his  royal  heart,  to  the  discontent  of  old 
crones,  and  the  cawing  of  black  crows." 

So  the  arrow  did,  and  attained  Koschei's  impetu- 
ous heart ;   and  thus  died  Koschei  the  Deathless.^ 

Then  Avdotya  bethought  herself  once  more  and 
wept.  "  Long  is  woman's  hair,"  she  said,  "  but 
short,  in  sooth,  are  her  wits  !  I  have  deserted  one 
shore,  yet  attained  not  unto  the  other.  I  will  slay 
Ivan,  and  go  back  to  Chernigof  a  maid." 

Thereupon  she  took  the  sharp  sword  from  where 
it  lay  upon  damp  mother  earth.  But  Ivanushka 
began  to  entreat  her  :  "  Ai,  Avdotya,  my  White 
Swan  !   unbind  me  now  from  the  damp  oak  !  " 

^  Koschei  is  merely  one  of  the  incarnations  of  the  dark  spirit. 
His  "  death  "-  is  generally  concealed  in  some  object  remote  from 
him,  which  it  is  necessary  to  destroy.  He  frequently  figures  in 
the  skazkas  (tales),  and  occasionally  dies,  as  in  this  case ;  though 
always  called  the  "  Deathless."'  Specimens  of  these  tales  may 
be  found  in  W.  R.  S.  Ralston's  Russian  Folk-lore. 

93 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

"  Wilt  thou  take  me  for  thy  wife,  young  Ivan 
Godinovich  ?  If  thou  wilt  swear  it,  I  will  sever 
the  silken  bonds  upon  thy  white  hands.  But  if 
thou  wilt  not  swear  it,  I  will  give  thee  over  to 
speedy  death." 

Then  Ivan  spoke  firmly  as  he  lay  upon  the 
damp  earth  : 

"  Release  me,  and  I  will  neither  beat  thee,  nor 
impute  to  thee  great  blame.  I  will  but  read  thee 
three  lessons  meet  for  a  wife." 

Yet  Avdotya  was  afraid,  and  would  still  have 
cut  off  Ivan's  turbulent  head,  with  her  sharp  sword. 
But  her  white  hands  trembled ;  and  the  sword  fell 
not  upon  Ivan's  white  throat,  but  upon  the  silken 
cords,  and  severed  them. 

Then  the  good  youth  rose  up  at  liberty,  placed 
Avdotya  upon  his  good  steed,  and  rode  over  the 
open  plain. 

"  Alight  now  at  the  ford,  Avdotya  my  White 
Swan,"  he  said  :  "  pull  off  my  morocco  boot  and 
fetch  me  fresh  water  therein,  for  I  would  fain 
drink  at  this  spot." 

Avdotya  answered  him  :  "  Thou  carest  not  to 
drink,  Ivanushka  Godinovich,  but  only  to  slay 
me!" 

This  seemed  to  Ivanushka  a  grief  and  a  great 
evil ;  so  he  hewed  off  Avdotya' s  arms  to  the  elbow, 
for  her  first  wifely  lesson  :  "  I  need  not  these," 
quoth  he ;  "  they  have  embraced  Koschei."  For 
his  second  lesson  he  cut  off  her  lips,  saying : 
"  These  I  need  not :  they  have  kissed  Koschei." 
And  for  the  third  lesson,  he  smote  off  her  feet  to 
the  knee  :  "  Of  these  I  have  no  need,"  quoth  he  : 
"■  they  bore  thee  from  my  white  pavilion  to  drag 
Ivan  by  his  ruddy  curls." 

Last  of  all,  he  cut  off  her  turbulent  head. 

Then  he  washed  his  sword  in  the  Dnyepr  river, 
94 


IVAN  GODINOVICH 

and  rode  to  Kief  town,  where  all  the  mighty  heroes 

came  forth  to  meet  him. 

Alyosha  Popovich  laughed  in  his  face  : 

"  Hail,     Ivanushka !  "     said    he.     "  Thou     art 

wedded  ?     But    thou    hast    no    companion    with 

whom  to  dwell." 

And  Ivan  Godinovich  replied  : 

"  I  have  wedded  my  sharp  sword  !  " 


95 


Dobrynya  and  the  Adventure  of  the 
Pavihon 

AS  young  Dobrynya  Nikitich  roamed  the  open 
plain  on  a  day,  he  came  to  a  damp  oak, 
whereon    sat    a    black    raven.     Dobrynya 
drew  his  bow  from  its  case,  fitted  to  the  cord  a 
flaming  arrow,  and  made  ready  to  shoot  the  raven. 
But  the  bird  addressed  him  in  human  language  : 

"  Now  ai,  Dobrynya  Nikitich  !  Slay  me  not, 
and  I  will  reveal  all  things  to  thee.  The  children 
in  the  streets  have  a  proverb  :  '  In  killing  a  gray- 
beard  there  is  no  salvation,  and  none  shall  receive 
profit  from  shooting  a  raven.'  With  the  blue 
plumes  of  a  raven  may  no  man  solace  himself, 
and    my    flesh    thou    canst    not    eat." 

Half  the  raven's  wings  were  white ;  and  he  said  : 

"  Ai,  Dobrynya  Nikitich  !  Go  thou  to  the  lofty 
mountain;  for  there  be  three  wondrous  marvels, 
three  marvellous  damsels.  The  first  is  a  wonder 
of  white  whiteness,  the  second  is  redly  beautiful, 
the  third  a  black  marvel  of  darkness." 

Dobrynya  reflected  then  in  haste,  and  replied 
to  the  raven  :  "  What  thou  hast  said  of  the  old 
man  and  the  raven  is  true."  Then  he  put  aside 
his  dart,  and  thought :  "  Better  is  it  that  I  should 
go  to  the  lofty  mountain,  to  yon  steep  hill,  and 
view  those  three  wondrous  marvels,  those  three 
marvellous  damsels." 

96 


DOBRYNYA  AND   THE   PAVILION 

So  he  turned  his  good  steed  in  haste,  quickly, 
quickly,  very,  very  quickly,  and  with  speed,  and 
rode  to  that  lofty  mountain.  And  as  he  gazed 
about  him,  lo  !  there  stood  a  pavilion  of  white 
linen.  On  the  pavilion  was  a  lock  of  damascened 
steel,  and  upon  the  lock  this  writing  :  "  Whoso 
entereth  this  pavilion,  shall  not  issue  thence 
alive." 

Dobrynya's  heroic  heart  burned  within  him 
when  he  read  that,  and  he  smote  the  lock  with 
his  fist,  so  that  the  lock  fell  upon  the  damp  earth. 
Within  the  pavilion,  he  beheld  tables  set  and 
viands  thereon,  and  he  entered.  Much  as  the 
youth  ate  and  drank,  even  more  did  he  fling  upon 
the  ground,  pour  out  and  trample  under  foot. 

Then  the  youth  lay  down  to  sleep,  and  as  he 
slept  and  took  his  ease,  he  wist  not  of  the  peril 
hanging  over  him. 

From  afar  in  the  open  plain  came  Alyosha 
Popovich  riding,  and  gazed  upon  that  sight.  More 
had  been  cast  down,  poured  out  and  trampled 
under  foot,  than  had  been  eaten.  Then  was 
Alyosha  very  wroth,  and  his  heroic  heart  burned 
within  him.  He  grasped  his  sharp-pointed  spear, 
and  would  have  pierced  Dobrynya's  white  breast; 
but  he  reflected  : 

"  No  honour  shall  I  win,  nor  youthful  praise,  if 
I  slay  a  sleeping  man,  who  is  no  better  than  a 
dead  one.  Rather  will  I  mount  Dobrynya's  good 
steed,  and  fight  and  contend  with  this  Dobrynya 
on  his  own  good  steed." 

So  Alyosha  mounted,  and  smote  Dobrynya  with 
the  butt  end  of  his  spear.  Thereupon  the  hero 
awakened  from  his  sleep,  and  sprang  quickly  forth 
in  his  fine  white  shirt  without  a  girdle,  and  without 
his  shoes,  grasped  his  heroic  mace,  and  they  two 
began  to  fight.  Dobrynya  leaped  about  on  foot, 
H  97 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

but  Alyosha  rode  Dobrynya's  good  steed.  All  day 
they  contended  eating  nothing,  all  day  they  fought 
drinking  nothing.  Two  more  days  and  nights  they 
fought. 

Then  came  a  clap  of  thunder,  and  mother  earth 
began  to  quiver.  When  Ilya  of  Murom  the  Old 
Kazak  heard  that,  he  pondered  :  "  'Tis  Russian 
heroes  in  battle.  Where  contend  thev  now,  and 
fight?" 

In  haste  he  saddled  his  good  steed,  Cloudfall, 
with  girth  upon  girth,  saddlecloth  on  saddlecloth, 
felt  on  felt,  and  over  all  his  little  Cherkessian 
saddle,  with  its  girth  of  silk,  saying  to  himself  : 
"  Not  for  dainty  beauty  is  this,  brothers,  but  for 
heroic  strength." — They  saw  the  good  youth  as  he 
mounted,  as  he  rode  they  saw  him  not  nor  knew 
whither  his  course  was  directed. 

When  Ilya  came  to  the  lofty  mountain,  he 
beheld  young  Dobrynya  and  bold  Alyosha  in 
combat.  Then  he  seized  Dobrynya  in  his  right 
hand,  bold  Alyosha  in  his  left,  and  shouted  at  the 
top  of  his  voice  :  "  Why  contend  ye,  mighty 
Russian  heroes?  " 

Alyosha  answered :  "  Ah,  thou  Old  Kazak, 
Ilya  of  Murom  !  How  could  I  refrain  from  fight- 
ing ?  The  tables  were  all  laid  in  my  pavilion,  and 
viands  set  thereon;  and  this  Dobrynya  Nikitich 
cast  to  the  earth  and  trampled  under  foot  as  much 
as  he  ate  and  drank,  so  that  I  was  ashamed  for 
the  youth." 

"  I  thank  thee,  Alyosha,"  spoke  Ilya,  "  for 
defending  thine  own."     And  to  Dobrynya  he  said  : 

"  And  thou,  Dobrynya  Nikitich,  my  cross- 
brother  in  arms,  why  contendest  thou?  " 

"  Ilya  of  Murom,  my  brother  in  arms,  Old 
Kazak  !  How  was  it  possible  not  to  fight  ?  For 
this  dog  and  robber  had  a  lying  inscription  written  : 

98 


DOBRYNYA  AND  THE   PAVILION 

'  Whoso  entereth  this  pavihon  shall  not  issue 
thence  alive,'  and  I  desired  to  remain  alive." 

"  I  thank  thee,  Dobrynya,"  quoth  the  Old 
Kazak,  "  for  that  thou  hast  entered  boldly  into 
the  dwelling  of  a  stranger." 

And  yet  more  said  little  Ilya : 

"  Calm  now  your  heroic  hearts,  and  call  each 
other  brother  in  arms,  and  swear  brotherhood,  with 
exchanging  of  crosses."  Then  he  flattered  and  per- 
suaded them,  and  they  began  not  again  to  fight 
and  contend,  but  swore  brotherhood  on  the  cross  : 
Dobrynya  called  himself  the  elder  brother,  and 
Alyosha  called  himself  the  younger.  And  so  they 
parted  and  came  to  Kief  town. 


90 


Churilo  Plenkovich,  the   Fop 

IN  royal  Kief  town,  courteous  Prince  Vladimir 
held  a  great  feast.  The  day  declined,  the 
feast  waxed  merry,  and  Prince  Vladimir 
solaced  himself  greatly.  Then  strange  people 
thrust  themselves  into  his  presence, — one  hundred 
young  men,  and  a  second  hundred  and  yet  a  third 
of  bold  youths.  All  were  beaten  and  wounded, 
their  turbulent  heads  all  bruised  with  cudgels  and 
bound  about  with  their  girdles.  They  touched 
their  foreheads  to  the  earth,  and  made  complaint : 
"  Our  light,  our  lord,  Prince  Vladimir  !  As  we 
rode  upon  the  plain,  beside  Soroga  river,  across  the 
royal  fens,  we  found  no  living  thing  :  neither  fierce 
roving  beast  nor  flying  bird.  We  found  but  three 
hundred  youths ;  their  steeds  were  Latinsky,^  their 
kaftans  of  damask,  their  surcoats  of  scarlet,  their 
caps  had  golden  crowns.  They  set  snares  of  silk 
in  thy  pine  forests  for  the  black  sables  and  the 
martens,  drove  the  foxes  and  the  white  foreign 
hares  from  their  burrows  :  they  shot  the  aurochs 
and  stag,  and  us  they  beat  and  wounded.  And 
thou,  lord,  hast  no  booty  and  we  no  guerdon, 
and  our  wives  and  children  are  deprived  of  their 
protectors; — for  we  must  wander  through  the 
world,  for  lack  of  food." 

^  Greneral  name  for  any  thing  from  Western  Europe,  where 
the  Latin  faith  prevailed,  in  contradistinction  to  "  Orthodox  " 
Russia. 

100 


CHURILO   PLENKOVICH,   THE   FOP 

Vladimir,  prince  of  royal  Kief  town,  ate,  drank, 
and  made  merry,  and  heeded  not  their  petition. 
And  this  host  had  not  departed  from  the  court 
when  another  host  arrived,  three  hundred  youths, 
five  hundred  youths,  all  fishermen,  all  beaten  and 
wounded  sore,  their  tempestuous  heads  bound  with 
girdles,  for  the  cudgel  blows.  They  also  did  lowly 
reverence  to  bright  Prince  Vladimir,  and  made 
complaint,  in  like  fashion  to  the  first.  They  had 
traversed  the  lakes  and  rivers  and  royal  ponds, 
and  had  taken  nothing,  but  had  espied  five  hundred 
youths  catching  white-fish,  pikes,  carps,  and  lesser 
fishes,  so  that  the  Prince  could  get  nothing.  They, 
receiving  therefore  no  payment  save  a  cudgelling 
from  those  bold  youths,  would  be  forced  to  roam 
the  world  for  a  livelihood. 

To  this  complaint  Vladimir  paid  no  more  heed 
than  to  the  first,  but  continued  to  eat,  drink,  and 
make  merry.  This  company  had  not  quitted  the 
courtyard  when  two  more  appeared,  the  royal 
falconers  and  hawkers,  with  their  turbulent  heads 
all  broken  and  bound  up.  These  made  complaint 
that  in  all  the  open  plains,  royal  fens  and  pleasure 
isles,  they  could  espy  neither  hawk  nor  falcon,  nor 
aught  but  a  thousand  men,  who  rode  hither  and 
thither,  catching  bright  sparrow-hawks  and  white 
noble  falcons.  And  these  men,  who  had  assaulted 
and  wounded  the  royal  falconers,  were  called 
Churilo's  ^  body-guard. 

While  the  falconers  still  stood  in  the  royal 
presence,  came  merchants  and  gardeners,  and  told 
how  Churilo's  wild  guards  had  plucked  up  all  their 
garlic  and  onions,  broken  all  their  white  cabbages, 
and  insulted  all  the  young  damsels  and  the  young 
men  of  Kief. 

This    word   touched    Prince    Vladimir,    and   he 
^  See  Appendix. 
101 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

inquired  of  them  :  "  Who  is  this  Churilo  ?  "  Old 
Bermyag  VasiUevich  stepped  forth. 

"  Lord,  I  have  known  Churilo  this  long  while ; 
he  dwelleth  not  in  Kief,  but  in  Little  Kief.^  His 
palace  covereth  seven  versts  ;  about  it  standeth  an 
iron  fence ;  upon  each  paling  thereof  is  a  knob, 
and  that  knob  is  a  pure,  round  pearl.  In  the 
midst  of  the  courtyard  stand  halls,  chambers  of 
white  oak,  hung  with  gray  beaver  skins ;  and  the 
ceilings  thereof  are  hung  with  black  sables,  and 
the  centre  beam  is  covered  with  leather.  The 
floor  of  his  own  bower,  the  space  about  the  oven, 
is  of  pure  silver,  the  hooks  and  hasps  of  damascened 
steel.  His  first  gates  are  of  carven  oak,  the  second 
all  crystal,  the  third  of  tin.  All  his  thresholds  are 
of  precious  fishes'  teeth,  and  all  his  ovens  of  tiles." 

When  Vladimir  heard  that,  he  arrayed  himself 
in  haste,  and  commanded  a  journey.  With  him 
he  took  his  Princess,  his  nobles  and  mighty  heroes, 
Dobrynya  Nikitich,  and  old  Bermyag  Vasilievich, 
summoned  five  hundred  men,  and  set  out  for 
Churilo  Plenkovich's  court. 

Old  Plenko  came  to  meet  them.  For  the  Prince 
and  Princess  he  opened  his  gates  of  carved  work, 
for  the  princes  and  nobles  those  of  crystal,  for  the 
common  folk  the  tin.  Then  old  Plenko  the  silk- 
merchant  led  Vladimir  and  the  Princess  Apraxia 
to  a  richly  patterned  chamber,  to  another  of 
crystal,  and  a  third  of  lattice  work,  and  so  to  the 
golden-domed  tower  where  all  was  heavenly  with 
sun  and  moon,  stars  innumerable  and  white  dawns. 

In  the  fair  hall  he  seated  them  at  tables  richly 
decked,  and  assigned  fitting  places  to  the  princes 
and  nobles.  Then  the  cunning  cooks  fetched 
sweet  viands  and  mead,  and  all  sorts  of  liquors 

^  In  modern  times  a  place  near  Kief  has  been  known  by  the 
name  of  Churilovshina. 

102 


CHURILO   PLENKOVICH,   THE   FOP 

from  beyond  the  sea,  to  give  mirth  to  the  princes. 
Joyful  was  their  converse,  and  cheerful  the 
day. 

Prince  Vladimir  pulled  aside  the  little  lattice 
window  by  which  he  sat  with  his  Princess ;  and  as 
they  gazed  forth  upon  the  open  plain,  they  saw  a 
hundred  good  youths  come  riding  from  afar,  from 
mother  Soroga  river. 

The  youths'  good  steeds  were  all  of  one  matched 
colour,  their  bits  alike  of  bronze,  their  kaftans  all 
of  scarlet  cloth  with  streaming  girdles.  The  shoes 
upon  their  feet  were  of  green  morocco,  the  tips 
awl-like,  the  heels  sharp ;  under  the  heels  small 
sparrows  might  hop  and  flutter,  over  the  insteps, 
an  egg  might  roll. 

Then  Prince  Vladimir  inquired  of  Plenko 
whether  it  were  his  son  thus  riding,  and  the  old 
silk-merchant  made  answer,  smiling  : 

"  Nay,  these  be  Churilo's  cooks,  who  make  his 
green  wine." 

When  that  throng  had  entered  the  court, 
another  of  five  hundred  came  riding  from  the 
plain,  all  mounted  alike  and  apparelled. 

Again  Vladimir  inquired  of  Plenko  whether  this 
might  be  Churilo  and  his  guard ;  and  old  Plenko 
made  answer  that  these  were  but  Churilo's  stewards 
who  served  his  table.  When  this  troop  had 
entered,  a  third  a  thousand  strong  came  from  afar, 
and  in  their  midst  a  goodly  youth,  fairer  than  they 
all.  His  locks  were  like  a  field  of  gold  with  silvery 
sheen,  his  neck  like  the  white  snows ;  his  cheeks 
outdid  the  poppy  in  hue ;  hke  the  clear  falcon's 
gleamed  his  eyes,  his  brows  were  hke  black  sables, 
his  little  feet  were  wondrous  small  : — their  traces 
on  fresh  fallen  snow  could  not  be  told  from  those 
of  the  white  ermine  or  the  hare.  Beneath  his 
mantle  of  rich  sables,  he  was  clad  in  green  samite, 

103 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

with  carven  buttons  of  red  gold,  in  fashion  hke  to 
apples  of  Siberia. 

Lightly  rode  that  host;  beneath  them  the  soft 
grass  bent  not,  the  azure  flowerets  broke  not. 

From  horse  to  horse  sprang  that  fair  youth, 
from  the  third  horse  and  past  the  fourth,  hurling 
high  his  spear  to  heaven,  as  it  had  been  a  swan's 
feather,  and  catching  it  hand  over  hand  :  as  he 
leaped  also,  he  snatched  the  good  youths'  caps 
from  their  heads,  and  placed  them  upon  others. 

"  A  misfortune  hath  come  upon  me  for  my 
sins  !  "  cried  Prince  Vladimir.  "  Lo  !  I  am  far 
from  home,  and  there  rideth  hither  to  me  a  King 
from  the  horde,  or  some  threatening  ambassador, 
to  sue  for  my  fair  niece  Beauty.^ 

But  old  Plenko  poured  him  a  cup  of  wine,  say- 
ing :  "  Fear  not.  Prince  Vladimir  !  'Tis  but  my 
son  Churilo  Avith  his  guard.  When  he  shall  stand 
before  thee,  lord,  this  feast  will  be  but  half  a 
feast,  this  banquet  will  seem  but  poor." 

Then  all  began  again  to  eat  and  drink  and 
make  merry,  sitting  without  thought  or  care.  In 
the  court  the  white  day  had  drawn  to  even,  the 
fair  red  sun  was  sunk  in  the  west,  ere  Churilo 
arrived.  Yet  before  him  was  borne  a  canopy,  that 
the  sun  might  not  scorch  his  white  face. 

Old  Plenko  went  forth  upon  the  railed  balcony 
behind  the  hall,  and  cried  :  "  Ai,  Churilo  Plenko- 
vich  !  thou  hast  here  in  thy  hall  a  much-loved 
guest,  Fair  Sun  Vladimir  of  royal  Kief.  What 
wilt  thou  now  set  before  him,  what  gifts  bestow 
upon  him?  " 

Now  Churilo  was  quick-witted  and  crafty.     He 

took  his  golden  keys,  went  to  his  iron-bound  coffers, 

and  drew  thence  great  treasure  of  black  sables, 

and  a  mantle  of  precious  sables,  soft  and  feathery 

^  Zabava  or  Zapava, 

104 


CHURILO   PLENKOVICH,    THE   FOP 

beneath  rich  samite  from  beyond  the  sea,  for  Prince 
Vladimir,  fine  white  damask,  in  vahie  a  hundred 
thousand  roubles,  for  the  Princess  Apraxia.  To 
each  noble  he  gave  little  foxes  of  the  cavern,  to 
every  merchant,  marten  skins,  and  to  the  common 
folk,  much  gold. 

Vladimir  accepted  these  gifts,  and  said  : 
"  Though  the  complaints  against  Churilo  were 
many,  yet  are  his  offerings  still  greater.     And  now 
I  will  not  give  judgment  against  him." 

And  to  Churilo  he  said  :  "  Young  Churilo 
Plenkovich,  it  is  not  fitting  that  thou  shouldst 
dwell  in  the  country.  Wilt  thou  not  come  to 
Kief,  and  serve  me  as  a  seneschal  and  cupbearer  ?  " 
Though  some  buy  off  misfortune,  Churilo  pur- 
chased ill-luck  at  great  cost.  Yet  he  rebelled  not, 
but  ordered  them  to  saddle  his  steed  in  haste,  and 
all  rode  back  to  Kief,  so  that  all  maids  and  wives 
gazed  and  marvelled  as  they  passed  through  the 
streets. 

Then  that  bright  lord,  Prince  Vladimir,  made  a 
great  feast  for  his  new  steward.  Churilo  laid  the 
oaken  tables,  and  as  he  shook  back  his  golden 
curls,  they  fell  apart  as  fair  round  pearls  do  that  roll 
asunder;  and  as  young  Princess  Apraxia  was 
carving  the  swan,  she  cut  her  right  hand,  and 
said  : 

"  Marvel  not  at  this,  ye  gentlewomen,  for  I  gaze 
upon  Churilo's  beauty,  upon  his  yellow  curls,  his 
golden  ring,  and  my  clear  eyes  are  troubled  !  Fair 
my  lord.  Prince  Vladimir,  make  Churilo  thy  groom 
of  the  chambers.  Let  him  spread  the  downy 
feather-bed,  place  the  high  cushion,  and  sit  by 
thy  pillow  to  play  upon  his  gusly  of  maple-wood, 
and  solace  thee." 

Then  Vladimir  told  Churilo  that  thus  it  must 
be ;   for    some    buy   off    misfortune,    but    Churilo 

105 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

purchased  his.  So  he  performed  the  varied  service 
of  groom  of  the  chambers,  to  the  great  solace  of 
Prince  Vladimir  and  his  Princess,  young  Apraxia. 

When  Vladimir  made  a  feast,  he  sent  young 
Churilo  to  bid  the  princes  and  nobles,  and  from 
each  guest  he  commanded  him  to  take  ten  roubles 
for  himself.  And  as  the  goodly  youth  passed 
through  the  streets  upon  his  errand,  shaking  back 
his  yellow  curls  like  fair  round  pearls,  nuns  turned 
in  their  cells  to  gaze  upon  his  beauty,  young  maids 
tore  off  their  kokoshniks  ^  in  admiration. 

Then  the  Princess  Apraxia  spoke  to  courteous 
Prince  Vladimir  :  "  Fair  lord,  this  service  befitteth 
Churilo  not." 

Vladimir  perceived  that  misfortune  was  come 
upon  him,  and  spoke  this  word  then  to  Churilo  : 

"  Dwell  thou  in  a  cell,  Churilo  Plenkovich,  or 
depart  now  to  thine  own  house,  for  in  my  palace 
I  have  no  longer  need  of  thee." 

Then  Churilo  bowed  low  in  reverence,  and  went 
forth  from  the  palace,  from  Kief  town,  and  came 
to  the  Puchai  river,  where  he  began  again  to  dwell 
in  mirth  and  pleasure. 

^  A  head-dress,  in  shape  like  a  coronet. 


106 


Ilya  and  the   Boon  Companions 

FROM  the  city  of  Galich  to  Kief  town  ran  a 
broad  road  of  forty  fathoms  :  along  that 
road  fared  a  pilgrim,  and  the  road  bent 
beneath  his  weight.  His  smock  was  tattered  with 
use,  and  a  rag  was  his  girdle.  His  cap  weighed 
forty  poods,  his  foot-gear  was  of  bast,  his  crutch 
was  nine  fathoms,  and  he  leaned  upon  a  hooked 
staff. 

The  old  man's  beard  was  sprinkled  with  gray,  his 
head  was  all  white.  That  aged  pilgrim  entered 
Kief  town,  and  craved  refreshment  after  his  long 
journey,  desiring  to  drink  green  wine  in  the  royal 
pot-house. 

He  entered  very  softly,  trod  very  lightly,  said  a 
prayer,  crossing  himself  as  enjoined  and  bowing 
on  all  sides  as  prescribed. 

"  Hail,  ye  vintner's  men,"  quoth  he.  "  Pour 
me  a  pail  and  a  half  of  wine,  to  refresh  me,  a 
wandering  pilgrim." 

But  the  vintners  made  answer  :  "  Nay,  thou  old 
dog,  thou  gray  hound,  we  will  not  trust  thee.  We 
will  not  give  thee  the  green  wine  without  thy 
money." 

But  the  pilgrim  took  from  his  neck  an  ancient 
and  wondrous  cross,  six  poods  and  a  half  in  weight, 
of  purest  antique  gold.  "  Take  this  cross  as 
surety,"  he  said ;    but  they  dared  not.  I 

107 


EPIC    SONGS   OF  RUSSIA 

But  the  poor  boon  companions  of  the  pot-house, 
the  peasants  and  villagers  gave  each  a  kopek,  and 
bought  therewith  a  bucket  and  a  half  of  green 
wine  for  the  pilgrim.  The  old  man  grasped  it  with 
one  hand,  swallowed  it  in  one  breath,  and  said  : 

"  I  thank  ye,  boon  companions,  and  peasants  of 
the  village  !  Ye  have  given  the  old  man  wine  to 
drunkenness ;  but  now  it  is  late.  Come  ye  there- 
fore to  me  to-morrow  right  early,  and  I  will  give 
you  all  wine  even  to  drunkenness,  in  return." 

Then  the  aged  man  climbed  upon  the  brick 
oven,  and  slept.  Very  early  on  the  morrow,  as 
the  warm  red  sun  arose,  he  descended  to  the 
cellars,  burst  open  the  doors  with  his  foot,  took  a 
cask  of  forty  under  one  arm,  another  of  the  same 
under  the  other,  and  rolled  a  third  before  him  with 
his  foot,  into  the  green  meadow,  and  so  to  the 
market  place.  Then  he  shouted  with  all  his  heroic 
might,  in  a  piercing,  thunderous  voice  : 

"  Ho,  ye  boon  companions  and  ye  peasants  of 
the  village  !  Come  to  the  old  man's  feast  !  I 
will  give  ye  all  green  wine  even  to  drunkenness, 
without  price." 

When  the  vintners  heard  that,  they  assembled, 
eighty  men  in  number,  to  take  the  green  wine 
from  the  aged  pilgrim,  but  could  do  nothing,  and 
so  went  to  petition  Prince  Vladimir  against  him. 
They  had  told  all  their  griefs,  and  Vladimir  said  : 

"  I  will  view  this  pilgrim,  vintners,  and  I  myself 
will  requite  you." 

All  the  boon  companions  and  village  peasants 
had  drunk  their  fill,  when  the  old  man  said  : 

"  Go  now  to  your  own  homes,  to  your  young 
wives  and  little  children ;  but  I  will  return  to  the 
royal  pot-house,  and  sleep  upon  the  oven  of  bricks." 

This  he  did,  and  early  on  the  morrow  came 
trusty  servants  from  the  Prince,  who  said  : 

108 


ILYA  AND   THE   BOON   COMPANIONS 

"  Come  to  Prince  Vladimir,  thou^wandering 
pilgrim." 

But  the  old  man  answered  :  "In  vain  do  ye 
disquiet  me,  brothers  !  Let  the  old  man  sleep." 
Then  he  descended  from  the  oven,  and  went 
through  Kief,  past  the  princely  palace,  and  cried 
in  a  mighty  voice  : 

"  Hey,  Prince  Vladimir  of  royal  Kief  !  Receive 
here  thy  money  for  the  green  wine  from  the  Kazak 
of  the  Don,  from  Ilya  of  Murom.  I  go  now  to 
the  open  plain,  to  the  heroic  barriers,  to  the  damp 
oak."     And  therewith  he  departed. 


109 


Diuk  Stepanovich 


BEYOND  the  sea,  the  blue  sea,  from  glorious 
Volhynia  town,  from  Galicia  the  Fair, 
from  Korela  the  Perverse,  from  India  the 
Rich,  came  young  Lord  Diuk  ^  Stepanovich.  Like 
a  white  gerfalcon  fluttering,  like  a  small  white 
ermine  coursing,  like  a  small,  clear  goshawk  flying, 
rode  Lord  Diuk  forth.  Like  the  bright  falcon  he 
sat  his  dapple-bay;  his  bow-case  and  his  quiver 
beat  his  hips,  and  like  a  wild  beast  was  his  good 
steed  Shaggy  beneath  him. 

The  young  lord's  casque  and  armour  were  of 
pure  silver,  in  value  three  thousand  roubles ;  his 
shirt  of  mail  was  of  fair  red  gold,  in  value  forty 
thousand.  His  good  steed  was  worth  five  hundred 
roubles ; — for  at  rivers  he  required  no  fords,  but 
leaped  a  stream  of  five  hundred  versts,  from  shore 
to  shore,  at  a  bound.  His  stout  bow  was  prized 
at  three  thousand ;  for  its  stem  was  of  pure  silver, 
the  tips  of  red  gold,  the  cord  of  white  silk  of 
Samarcand.  Each  burning  arrow  in  his  quiver 
was  valued  at  ten  roubles. 

Lord  Diuk  rode  a-hunting,  beside  the  broad 
blue  Ocean-sea,  and  peaceful  bays,  shooting  foxes, 
martens,  blue-gray  eagles,  geese,  white  swans  and 
small  gray,   downy  ducks.     By  day  he  shot,   by 

^  Dux — duke.  Little  Russian,  duka,  a  rich  man.  See 
Appendix. 

110 


DIUK   STEPANOVICH 

night  gathered  up  his  arrows.  Where  his  arrows 
flew,  a  flame  seemed  to  bm-n ;  where  they  fell  and 
lay,  rays  streamed  as  from  the  bright,  clear  moon. 
Three  hundred  arrows  he  shot  and  three  :  the  three 
hundred  he  found  again,  but  not  the  three ;  and 
he  marvelled  thereat. 

"  I  know  the  value  of  the  three  hundred,  but  of 
the  three  which  are  lost,  I  know  not  the  value — ■ 
for  they  are  priceless.  They  were  made  of  the 
reed  tree,  smoothed  upon  twelve  sides  and  gilded, 
the  shafts  set  with  precious  jacinth  stones,  so  that 
they  darted  rays  like  the  fair  red  sun.  They  were 
feathered  with  the  plumes  of  the  blue-gray  eagle, 
fast  set  with  sturgeon  glue  : — not  the  plumes  of 
the  eagle  which  flieth  over  the  meadows,  but  of 
that  eagle  which  hovereth  over  the  blue  sea,  and 
reareth  his  young  thereon,  and  alightetli  upon  the 
white  Alatyr  ^  stone.  When  he  ruffleth  his  feathers 
the  sea  is  tossed,  the  cocks  crow  in  the  hamlets ; 
and  as  he  plumeth  himself,  he  droppeth  his  feathers. 
Ships  came  on  a  day  with  sailor  guests,  and  gathered 
up  three  feathers,  the  eagle  plumes,  more  precious 
than  satin  or  cut  velvet,  and  brought  them  as  gifts 
to  kings  and  princes  and  Diuk  Stepanovich." 

Then  young  Diuk  mounted  his  good  steed,  and 
rode  towards  home.  On  the  broad  highway  he 
met  one  and  thirty  wandering  psalm-singers,  and 
shouted  in  piercing  tones  :  "  Are  ye  thieves,  high- 
waymen, midnight  prowlers  or  church  robbers?  " 

The  psalm-singers  made  answer  :  "  Young  Lord 
Diuk  !  we  are  no  robbers ;  we  go  as  pilgrims  from 
Kief  the  famous  to  Volhynia  town  in  broad 
India." 

"  Tell  me,  ye  pilgrims,  is  the  way  long  from 
Kief  to  Volhynia  ;  to  India  the  Rich  ?  " 

"  Great  is  the  way.  Lord  Diuk,  from  India  to 
1  For  some  account  of  this  curious  stone,  see  Appendix. 
Ill 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

Kief  town.     A  whole  year  mayest  thou  journey 
on  foot,  and  three  months  must  thou  ride." 

Then  said  Diuk  :  "  I  thank  you,  pilgrims ;  "  and 
so  rode  back  to  Volhynia. 

It  was  the  solemn  Easter  Even,  and  young  Diuk 
went  to  vespers.  'Twas  not  the  silken  plume-grass 
waving,  nor  the  white  birch  bending  low,  but  the 
goodly  youth,  Diuk  Stepanovich,  bowing  there 
before  his  mother,  the  most  honourable  widow 
Amalfya  Timofeevna. 

"  Fair  my  lady  mother  !  Must  I  live  long  thus 
at  home,  roaming  the  wide  streets  and  solacing 
myself  with  childishness  ?  'Tis  time  for  me  to  ride 
far,  far  across  the  open  plain,  to  throw  back  my 
heroic  shoulders,  urge  on  Shaggy,  my  dapple-bay, 
and  prove  my  youthful  prowess  and  daring;  to 
see  people  and  to  show  myself.  Many  fair  towns 
have  I  seen,  but  never  have  I  been  in  Kief  the 
glorious,  nor  beheld  Prince  Vladimir  and  his  fair 
Princess  Apraxia.  Give  me  thy  leave  and  blessing 
now,  my  lady-mother,  to  journey  to  Kief  town,  to 
view  it  and  them." 

Amalfya  Timofeevna  made  answer  :  "  Ai,  my 
dear  child  !  Thou  hast  never  been  on  the  open 
plain,  nor  heard  the  roar  of  wild  beast,  the  shriek 
and  yell  of  Tatar;  thou  hast  essayed  no  heroic 
quests.  Thou  wilt  not  be  able  to  bring  back  thy 
head  in  safety  from  the  plain. — And  go  not  to 
Kief,  my  fair  child,  thou  lordly  young  scion,  Diuk 
Stepanovich  !  There  dwell  evil  people,  who  will 
squeeze  thee  as  though  thou  wert  a  fine,  juicy 
apple.  I  will  not  give  thee  my  blessing  to  go 
to  Kief,  to  courteous  Prince  Vladimir.  Moreover, 
there  stand  three  great  barriers  on  the  straight 
road.  The  first  is  the  clashing  mountains.  Each 
second  time  they  clash, — each  second  time  they 
part  :     thou   mayest   not   pass    these,    Diuk,    and 

112 


DIUK  STEPANOVICH 

remain  alive.  The  second  barrier  is  the  pecking 
birds  :  they  will  tear  thee  from  thy  good  steed, 
Diuk,  and  them  thou  mayest  not  escape.  And  the 
third  barrier  is  the  Dragon  of  the  Mountain  with 
twelve  tails.  He  will  devour  thee  : — thou  canst 
not  escape." 

But  young  Lord  Diuk  heeded  not  his  mother's 
words.  He  went  to  the  stall  and  curried  his  good 
steed  with  a  fine  comb  of  fishes'  teeth.  Winged 
Shaggy's  mane  swept  the  damp  earth,  on  the  left 
side ;  his  flowing  tail  wiped  out  traces  of  hoofs  as 
he  passed  over.  On  him  Diuk  put  his  braided  bit, 
his  metal-bound  Cherkessian  saddle,  with  felt  on 
felt,  saddlecloth  on  saddlecloth  beneath;  and  one 
of  these  was  striped  of  red  gold,  pure  silver,  and 
bronze  of  Kazan,  more  precious  than  either  of  the 
first.  These  he  made  fast  with  twelve  stout  girths, 
and  a  thirteenth — not  for  beauty  or  for  youthful 
vanity,  but  for  heroic  strength,  that  the  heroic 
steed  might  not  leap  from  under  the  saddle,  and 
overturn  the  good  youth  in  the  open  plain.  The 
girths  were  all  of  the  silk  of  Samarcand  which 
teareth  not,  weareth  not ;  the  buckles  of  fair  gold, 
the  tongues  thereof  of  silver,  which  corrodeth  not ; 
the  stirrups  of  damascened  steel  from  beyond  the 
sea,  which  cannot  be  destroyed. 

When  Diuk  had  caparisoned  his  heroic  steed, 
and  plaited  fair  jewels  in  his  mane,  he  went  off  a 
little  from  him  and  gazed  upon  him.  "  Art  thou 
a  horse,  my  good  steed,  or  a  wild  beast  ?  For 
under  the  trappings  the  good  horse  cannot  be  seen." 

Then  the  horse  answered  him  with  human  voice  : 
"  Tear  not  my  sides  with  thy  spurs,  Diuk  Stepano- 
vich;  lash  me  not  with  thy  silken  whip,  tighten 
not  my  plaited  bridle  :  but  cling  thou  to  my  sacred 
mane ;  bind  handfuls  of  damp  mother  earth  under 
thy  two  arms,  that  thou  mayest  not  fear  to  ride 
I  113 


EPIC   SONGS   OF  RUSSIA 

with  me ;  for  I  shall  leap  from  momitain  to  moun- 
tain, lakes  and  rivers  I  shall  clear  at  a  bound ;  and 
so  shall  I  serve  thee  well." 

Then  Diuk  took  off  his  armour,  and  put  on 
garments  fitting  for  a  journey,  took  his  stout  bow 
and  a  quiver  full  of  burning  arrows  on  his  hip, 
and  touched  the  earth  with  his  brow  in  reverence 
before  his  mother. 

His  mother  instructed  him  :  "  Ai,  my  dear 
child  !  when  thou  shalt  come  to  famous  Kief 
town  and  to  Prince  Vladimir  the  Fair  Sun,  and 
he  shall  make  a  banquet  and  an  honourable  feast 
for  thee,  then  boast  not  of  thy  orphan  possessions, 
of  thy  wealth,  or  of  me,  thy  mother."  Therewith 
she  gave  him  her  leave  and  blessing,  and  kissed 
him.     And  he  mounted  and  rode. 

They  saw  the  good  youth  as  he  mounted,  but 
saw  him  not  as  he  rode — 'twas  but  a  pillar  of 
dust  afar  in  the  plain,  a  little  darkening  of  the 
heavens,  and  he  was  gone. 

And  as  he  rode,  he  came  to  the  first  barrier,  the 
clashing  rocks ;  but  his  good  dapple-bay  sprang 
between,  and  they  crushed  him  not.  And  at  the 
second  barrier  likewise,  his  good  steed  leaped  past 
ere  the  pecking  birds  of  prey  could  spread  their 
wings ;  and  past  the  third  barrier,  the  dragon  of 
the  mountain,  ere  he  could  uncoil  his  tails,  faithful 
Shaggy  bore  him. 

So  the  good  youth  came  forth  in  safety,  and  rode 
farther  over  the  open  plain  until  he  came  to  a 
damp,  ringbarked  oak,  whereon  sat  a  black  raven 
cawing,  and  spoke  this  word  :  "  Ai,  thou  cawing 
raven,  thou  bird  of  omen  !  I  will  bend  my  stout 
bow,  I  will  lay  a  fiery  arrow  to  the  silken  cord,  I 
will  scatter  thy  feathers  over  the  open  plain ;  I 
will  spill  thy  blood  on  the  damp  oak,  and  give 
thee  over  to  vain  death." 

114 


DIUK  STEPANOVICH 

"  ^^T   ?°^^  }^'''    '"^^^^^    ^^'itJi    human    tongue  : 
iJe'lTr^  hot  blood,  young  Lord  Diuk,  but 

find  «n      J     '''^'''  *^^  °P"^  P^^^^^'  ^nd  thou  Shalt 
hnd  an  adversary,  one   befitting  thy  stature  " 

i)mk  rejoiced  greatly  that  he  should  prove  his 
heroic  might  and  so  rode  on,  and  came  upoTi  the 
traces  of  a  horse.  A  hero  had  passed  th^t  way 
hoof  r^f  ?  Tv^'J  earth  was  furrowed  with  horse's 
the  b^d  vnn^^  '^  \^^^ghty  grating.  After  that 
the  bold  youth  came  to  where  the  hero  had  pitched 
a  pavilion  of  white  linen;    and  beside  it  stood  a 

:Lt  T^mS^r't.'^^^^'^  ^^^^^-  --  ^p-^^ «- 

^     The  bold  youth  reflected,  and  began  to  weep 

JNow  may  I  not  pursue  my  way,"  he  said    "  and 

to  enter  that  pavilion  the  courage  faileth  me.     The 

heTd  will  ^fa  1  "  r"1  '^-Kf^^\-  pavilion,  and  my 
nead  wil  fall.— But  I  will  place  my  good  steed 
beside  this  steed  at  the  white  wheat;  if"  the  horses 
eat  the  wheat  in  peace  together,  then  will  I  enter 
the  tent,  and  the  hero  shall  not  touch  me.     Bui 

so  I  mi7' ''  ^'^'"  '^  ^^■^^*'  ^  ^^^"  §°  "^y  ^^'-y'  for 

When  he  beheld  the  good  steeds  feed  in  peace 
side  by  side,  he  entered  the  linen  pavilion,  crossed 

"ehold"'^"""''  ^"'  ''^'''''''  -  prescribedl 
and  behold  !   in  one  corner,  slumbered  a  hero  and 

snored  until  the  threshold  rang.     Then  he  saw  by 

the  heroic  inscription  that  this  was  the  Old  Kazak 

of  the  Don,  Ilya  of  Murom  the  Son  of  Ivan      He 

^sayed  to  wake  the  hero,  shouting  with  all  Ws 

f\Z  ^nT  *^''  1^^^  ^^^^^'  ^^y^  of  Murom  1     'Tis 
W  to  fare  to  glorious  Kief  town,  to  royal  Prince 
Vladimir,  to  matins  on  Easter  morn."     But  the 
hero  slept  on,  and  woke  not.     At  Diuk's  third  shout 
the  warrior  woke  from  his  deep  sleep,  and  spoke     ' 

115 


EPIC   SONGS   OF  RUSSIA 

"  A'l,  good  youth  !  tell  nie  thy  land  and  horde, 
and  how  thou  art  called."  And  Diuk  told  him  all 
this. 

"  And  why  hast  thou  wakened  me  from  my  deep 
heroic  sleep  ?  Wilt  thou  fight  the  accursed  Tatars 
in  the  plain  ?  Or  wilt  thou  come  with  me  thyself, 
good  youth,  to  the  plain,  and  prove  thy  youthful 
might  and  valour — which  of  us  shall  bear  away  his 
head,  and  which  joyful  news  ?  " 

Then  Diuk  wept  and  humbled  himself  before 
him.  "  Why  should  I  go  to  the  open  plain  with 
thee,  Ilya  of  Murom,  thou  Old  Kazak?  For  thy 
death  is  not  decreed  in  battle.  Nay,  there  is  but 
one  sun  in  heaven,  and  one  moon — and  but  one 
Kazak  of  the  Don  in  Holy  Russia,  Ilya  of  Murom, 
son  of  Ivan." 

This  speech  pleased  Ilya  :  he  sprang  to  his 
nimble  feet,  caught  Diuk  by  his  white  hands,  his 
golden  ring,  kissed  him  on  his  sugar  mouth,  and 
swore  brotherhood  with  him,  exchanging  crosses. 
Then  they  sat  down  to  eat,  drink,  and  make  merry. 
And  when  they  had  had  their  fill,  Ilya  said  :  "  Go 
now,  young  Lord  Diuk,  to  royal  Kief  town,  and  if 
any  there  shall  offend  thee,  send  me  word  of  it, 
and  I  will  defend  thee.     But  make  no  boasts." 

So  Diuk  rode  forth ;  and  when  he  was  come  to 
Kief,  he  leaped  the  walls,  passed  the  three-cornered 
towers,  and  came  to  the  royal  palace  of  white  stone. 
In  the  spacious  court  he  sprang  from  his  good  steed, 
struck  the  butt  of  his  far-reaching  lance  into  the 
earth,  and  flung  his  good  steed's  bridle  over  the 
point. 

The  Princess  Apraxia  was  there,  looking  out. 
"  Lo  !  the  washerwoman,"  quoth  Diuk,  and  bowed. 
"  And  where  is  courteous  Prince  Vladimir,  the 
Fair  Sun  ?  " 

Then  was  Princess  Apraxia  very  wroth,  and  the 
116 


DIUK   STEPANOVICH 

serving-men  made  answer  :    "  Royal  Vladimir  is  at 
the  Easter  mass." 

So  Diuk,  that  good  youth,  vaulted  quickly  into 
his  saddle,  and  rode  to  the  cathedral  church. 
There  he  dismounted,  and  left  Shaggy,  his  little 
dapple-bay,  unbound  and  without  orders.  In  the 
cathedral,  he  took  his  stand  in  the  place  of  the 
ambassadors,  the  left  porch.  While  the  mass 
was  sung,  he  prayed  not  so  much  as  gazed  about  : 
— he  gazed  at  the  church  and  gulped,  at  Prince 
Vladimir  and  shook  his  head,  at  the  Princess 
Apraxia  and  dropped  his  hand. 

When  the  Easter  mass  was  at  an  end.  Prince 
Vladimir  sent  to  bid  the  strange  and  goodly  youth 
to  his  honourable  feast.  "  Eh,  brothers  !  "  Diuk 
made  answer  to  the  messengers  :  "  Ye  have  had 
spring  weather.  I  have  ridden  far  over  swamps 
and  mosses,  and  my  flowered  garments  are  be- 
mired."  Nevertheless  he  followed  them,  and  bowed 
before  Prince  Vladimir  until  his  yellow  curls  swept 
the  damp  earth. 

As  they  came  from  the  cathedral,  they  found 
a  great  throng  of  people  gathered  about  Diuk's 
Shaggy,  marvelling  much  at  the  good  steed's  rich 
trappings.  Diuk  followed  Prince  Vladimir  to  his 
princely  dwelling,  and  the  good  steed  came  after 
his  master. 

Now  great  rains  had  fallen  on  the  black  earth 
with  which  the  way  was  covered,  and  the  road  was 
heavy  with  mud  to  the  knee.  Diuk  looked  upon 
his  little  shoes  of  green  morocco,  and  then  upon 
Prince  Vladimir,  and  shook  his  head.  But  Prince 
Vladimir  heeded  not,  and  began  to  inquire  of  him 
his  name  and  country.  This  Diuk  told  him,  and 
how  he  was  come  to  view  royal  Kief  of  which  he 
had  heard  great  marvels,  to  greet  the  Fair  Sun 
Vladimir,  and  to  pray  to  God  in  his  temples. 

117 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

Then  Vladimir  took  him  by  his  white  hands, 
kissed  him  on  his  sweet  mouth,  and  led  him  to  the 
palace.  When  Diuk  beheld  the  palace,  he  shook 
his  head,  and  said  to  his  good  steed  :  "  They  will 
starve  thee  here,  good  Shaggy ;  they  will  give  thee 
frozen  oats  to  eat ;  and  at  home  thou  wouldst  not 
touch  the  finest  of  white  wheat." 

And  when  Diuk  beheld  the  banquet  hall,  with 
its  tables  of  oak,  and  cloths  patterned  with  drawn- 
work,  he  shook  his  head  yet  more. — As  they  sat 
about  the  board,  Vladimir  inquired  of  Diuk  if  it 
were  far  from  India  to  Kief  town. 

"  I  set  out  after  vespers  on  Holy  Saturday," 
Diuk  made  answer,  "  and  lo  !  I  was  in  Kief  at 
early  mass  on  Easter  Day  !  " 

"  And  are  such  steeds  as  thine  dear  in  thy 
country?  " 

"  We  have  them  for  a  rouble,  and  for  two 
roubles,  and  for  six  roubles ;  but  my  good  steed  is 
priceless." 

Then  spoke  up  Vladimir's  heroes  and  nobles  : 

"  Nay,  lord,  that  may  not  be  !  For  by  the 
straight  road  it  is  a  three-months  journey,  and  by 
the  way  about  six  months,  and  that  when  a  man 
hath  relays,  and  springeth  from  horse  to  horse, 
from  saddle  to  saddle,  tarrying  not." 

But  Vladimir  said  nothing. 

Then  all  began  to  make  great  brags,  some  of 
one  thing  and  some  of  another ;  and  Diuk  alone 
sat  sad  and  silent,  eating  not  nor  drinking  nor 
carving  the  white  swan.  And  courteous  Prince 
Vladimir  spoke  : 

"  Ai,  thou  bold  and  goodly  youth  !  is  the  feast 
not  to  thy  liking?  Or  art  thou  poor,  perchance, 
with  nothing  whereof  thou  mayest  vaunt  thyself  ?  " 

"  Fair  Sun  Vladimir,  Prince  of  royal  Kief,"  said 
Diuk,  "  I  have  far  greater  possessions  than  thou. 

118 


DIUK   STEPANOVICH 

My  father  left  me  a  little  lad  and  rich,  and  I  am 
not  used  to  eat  black  bread."  Yet  com-teous 
Prince  Vladimir  was  not  affronted  by  his  speech. 

Then  green  wine  was  brought,  and  liquors,  and 
kalaehi  ^  of  fine  wheaten  flour.  Diuk  drank  but 
the  half  of  his  wine — the  other  half  he  poured 
under  the  table.  The  top  crust  of  the  cakes  he 
laid  upon  the  table,  the  middle  he  ate,  and  cast 
the  under  crust  to  the  dogs  beneath  the  board. 

Seeing  this,  Vladimir's  princes  and  nobles  sprang 
to  their  nimble  feet,  and  cried  :  "  What  dis- 
courteous churl  is  this  ?  He  is  not  Lord  Diuk 
Stepanovich ;  never  before  this  day  hath  he 
quaffed  noble  liquors,  or  tasted  wheaten  cakes; 
he  knoweth  not  royal  courtesy.  He  is  a  herds- 
man, the  fugitive  serf  of  some  noble,  who  hath 
murdered  his  master  or  a  merchant,  stolen  his 
flowered  garments,  and  driven  off  his  good  steed  ! 
He  is  come  hither  that  thou  mightest  make  an 
honourable  feast  for  him,  royal  Vladimir,  and  give 
him  golden  treasure,  as  is  thy  usage.  He  mocketh 
thee,  Prince  Vladimir;  he  is  not  noble,  for  he 
looked  upon  his  shoes  as  he  walked;  and  his 
mantle  of  sables  he  never  earned." 

"  I  want  not  thy  treasure,"  quoth  Diuk.  "  I 
possess  inexhaustible  store  of  golden  treasure, 
and  bread  and  salt  in  abundance.  I  heard  great 
marvels  of  glorious  Kief  town,  and  so  came  hither. 
But  things  are  not  with  you  as  they  are  with  us 
in  India." 

"  Why  didst  thou  gaze  about  thee  at  mass, 
noble  Diuk,"  said  Prince  Vladimir  then,  "  in  place 
of  praying  God?  " 

"  I  gazed,  royal  Vladimir,"  Diuk  made  reply, 

"  because  thy  churches  here  are  not  the  tenth  part 

of  the  chm-ches  with  us.     Thy  raiment  is  like  the 

^  Wlieaten  rolls  of  peculiar  shape ;  very  delicious. 

119 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

raiment  of  the  very  poorest  among  us,  and  the 
Princess  Apraxia,  Hkewise,  is  apparelled  like  our 
poorer  women.  Thy  churches  are  of  M'^ood  with 
domes  of  aspen  wood  :  ours  are  of  stone  with 
roofs  of  purest  gold.  Our  meanest  huts  exceed 
thy  fairest  palace  of  white  stone.  Thy  streets  are 
foul :  ours  are  cleaned,  tawny-yellow  sand  is  strewn 
upon  them,  with  rugs  spread  thereon.  The  steps 
of  thy  palace  are  of  black  stone,  with  railings  of 
turned  wood  fastened  with  wooden  pegs  which 
catch  the  garments  :  our  steps  are  of  ivory  spread 
with  silken  rugs,  and  the  railings  are  carved  of 
pure  gold.  The  floor  of  thy  banquet  hall  is  of  pine 
planks,  and  uneven,  the  walls  and  ceiling  are  un- 
painted,  the  tables  of  oak,  the  cloths  patterned 
with  drawn  threads.  But  the  floors  of  our  halls 
are  of  ash,  the  walls  and  ceilings  all  painted,  the 
tables  of  gold  and  ivory;  our  cloths  are  of  silk, 
and  at  their  corners  hang  tassels  of  gold.  Over 
my  mother's  gate  are  seventy  ikons, ^  and  you  have 
not  even  ten.  From  our  churches  to  the  palace, 
pavements  of  arrow-wood  are  laid,  spread  with  fine 
crimson  cloth." 

"  Why  dost  thou  throw  away  my  wine  and 
cakes?"  asked  courteous  Prince  Vladimir.  And 
Diuk  replied  : 

"  I  cannot  eat  thy  wheaten  cakes.  The  upper 
crust  tasteth  of  pine,  and  the  lower  crust  of 
clay.  For  your  ovens  here  are  of  brick,  your 
oven-brooms  of  pine.  But  my  mother's  ovens  in 
India  the  Rich  are  of  glazed  tiles,  and  her  oven- 
brooms  are  of  silk  dipped  in  honey-dew.  He  who 
hath  eaten  one  of  my  lady  mother's  cakes  longeth 
for  another;  when  he  hath  eaten  that,  his  soul 
burnetii  for  a  third ;  and  having  devoured  the 
third,  the  fourth  will  not  depart  from  his  mind. — 
^  Pictures  of  saints. 
120 


DIUK   STEPANOVICH 

Thy  wines  and  sweet  liquors  I  cannot  drink,  for 
they  are  musty  and  ill-flavoured.  But  in  India 
the  Rich,  my  mother's  sweet  mead  and  old  liquors 
are  kept  in  silver  casks  of  forty  buckets  hooped 
with  gold,  and  hung  by  brazen  chains  in  caverns 
forty  fathoms  deep.  From  these  vaulted  caverns, 
pipes  run  to  the  fresh  air  of  the  open  plain ;  and 
when  tempestuous  breezes  blow,  they  enter  the 
caverns,  and  the  silver  casks  rock  in  their  chains, 
and  murmur  like  swans  at  play  upon  the  bosom 
of  quiet  bays.  Our  fair  liquors  never  grow  musty. 
Having  drunk  one  cup,  the  soul  burnetii  evermore 
for  another,  and  the  merit  of  those  liquors  no 
words  can  equal.  The  store  of  my  lady  mother's 
flowered  garments  is  never  exhausted;  for  the 
sewing-women  are  ever  at  work, — when  one  throng 
quitteth  the  court,  another  throng  arriveth.  My 
mother's  under-garments  are  of  precious  stones, 
the  upper  of  gold  brocade ;  her  cap  is  of  fair  round 
pearls,  with  jewels  of  great  price  in  the  front ;  and 
I  wear  a  different  dress  each  day.  Our  horses  are 
fed  only  on  fine  Turkish  wheat,  and  sport  upon 
the  plain.  And  we  have  twelve  deep  vaults  strewn 
full  of  gold  and  silver  and  fair  pearls.  One  vault 
alone  would  purchase  royal  Kief,  and  even  Chernigof 
beside." 

Then  spake  royal  Vladimir  in  displeasure  : 

"  I  would  that  Churilo  Plenkovich  the  Fop  were 
here ;  for  he  would  know  how  to  answer  thee  as 
thou  deservest." 

Thereupon  the  oaken  doors  of  the  banquet  hall 
"v^re  opened  wide,  and  Churilo  entered,  clad  in  a 
fine  white  blouse  without  a  girdle ;  he  crossed  him- 
self, and  bowed  to  all  save  to  Diuk  Stepanovich. 

Then  said  Diuk  :  "  The  fame  of  Churilo's  beauty 
was  not  false, — for  his  neck  is  like  the  driven 
snow,  his  face  red  as  the  poppy.     But  the  fame  of 

121 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

Churilo's  courtesy  was  false, — he  knoweth  not  how 
to  do  homage  nor  to  salute." 

Quoth  Churilo  :  "  Dost  thou  boast,  thou  noble- 
man's serf,  of  thy  wealth  and  possessions  ?  Lay 
a  wager,  now,  with  mc,  a  great  wager  of  thirty 
thousand  roubles.  For  three  years  we  shall  go 
about  Kief ;  each  day  we  shall  wear  fresh  apparel ; 
— each  day  ride  a  horse  of  different  colour.  And 
he  that  hath  the  fairest  shall  be  adjudged  the 
victor." 

"  Thou  dwellest  here  in  Kief,  Churilo  Fop,"  said 
Diuk;  "and  thy  presses  are  full  to  overflowing 
with  raiment,  while  I  have  but  my  travelling  garb ; 
and  it  is  well  worn." 

Nevertheless,  Diuk  made  that  great  wager,  for 
three  years  and  three  days.  Then  he  sat  down  at 
the  oaken  table,  in  a  folding-chair,  wrote  in  haste 
a  scroll  to  his  mother,  and  went  forth  with  it  to 
the  court,  where  stood  his  dapple-bay.  He  laid 
the  scroll  in  the  saddle-bags  beneath  the  rich 
Cherkessian  saddle,  and  spoke  :  "  Speed  home,  my 
Shaggy,  to  India  the  Rich ;  and  when  thou  comest 
to  my  lady  mother's  palace,  neigh  loudly." 

So  the  good  bay  flew  swiftly  to  India  the  Rich. 
And  when  the  honourable  widow  Amalfya  Timo- 
feevna  beheld  the  empty  saddle,  she  wept  sore ; 
for  she  thought  her  dear  child  had  laid  down  his 
bold  head  upon  the  open  plain,  in  Holy  Mother 
Russia.  But  when  the  grooms  unsaddled  good 
Shaggy,  they  found  the  scroll,  and  gave  it  to 
Diuk's  lady  mother,  who  rejoiced  greatly  that  her 
son  still  lived.  • 

"  Alas  !  the  foolish  child  hath  boasted,"  she 
said,  when  she  had  read  the  scroll  :  "  yet  I  must 
save  his  honour  and  his  head." 

Then  she  took  her  golden  keys,  and  packed  up 
changes  of  raiment  for  three  years  and  three  days, 

122 


DIUK   STEPANOVICH 

— three  changes  for  each  day, — and  bound  them 
on  the  good  steed's  back.  Over  all  she  put  an 
old  and  much-worn  garment. 

"  Spring  forth,  good  steed,  to  thy  young  lord  !  " 
she  cried  :  "  and  apprise  him  of  thy  coming  with 
a  neigh." 

- — Then  Churilo  Fop  and  young  Lord  Diuk 
began  to  ride  about  Kief  town  with  new  garments 
and  horses  every  day.  Churilo  had  great  herds 
of  horses  driven  in  from  Chernigof;  but  Diuk 
anointed  his  Shaggy  each  morning  with  dew,  and 
so  changed  the  colour  of  his  hair.  Three  years 
they  rode  thus  through  Kief.  The  last  day  was 
Easter,  and  they  went  to  mass,  and  stood  in  the 
porch  on  either  hand. 

The  raiment  of  Churilo  Fop  was  rayed  with  gold 
and  silver ;  his  clasps  were  figures  of  stately  youths, 
his  loops  in  semblance  of  fair  maidens.  Beneath 
the  high  heels  of  his  slippers  of  green  morocco, 
nightingales  might  fly— from  their  awl-sharp  tips 
curving  to  the  instep,  eggs  might  roll.  His  black 
murman  ^  cap  drooped  soft  and  downy,  so  that 
his  clear  eyes  might  not  be  seen  in  front  nor  his 
white  neck  behind.  His  mantle  was  of  black 
sables  from  over  the  sea. 

But  young  Lord  Diuk  went  all  unadorned 
through  Kief  town  that  day ; — save  that  the  points 
of  his  foot-gear,  woven  of  the  seven  silks,  and  the 
insteps  thereof,  were  studded  thick  with  precious 
stones,  in  value  above  all  that  city  save  only  the 
settings  of  the  Virgin  and  the  Saints.— For  over 
all,  concealing  utterly  his  egg-shell  raiment,  he  had 
put  that  worn  garment  sent  by  his  lady  mother. 

Churilo  took  his  stand  upon  Vladimir's  right, 

^  Norman.  There  is  a  game  called  "  the  murman  cap,"  foi- 
a  description  of  which  see  Ralston's  Songs  of  the  Russiaa 
People. 

123 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

and  fingered  his  earven  clasps  : — when  he  touched 
the  clasps,  the  fair  maids  poured  green  wine  and 
gave  to  the  comely  youths ;  when  he  pulled  the 
loops,  the  good  youths  plucked  their  little  guslys 
solacing  the  maidens  fair. 

Then  spake  Prince  Vladimir  :  "In  sooth  the 
young  Lord  Diuk  hath  forfeited  his  wager  !  For 
such  devices,  Diuk,  thou  surely  canst  not  show  to 
us,  how  fair  soever  thy  garb  may  be." 

"  I  care  not  for  the  thirty  thousand  of  coin," 
quoth  Diuk,  "  but  for  my  own  good  fame  I  have 
a  care.  The  gold  I  now  bestow  upon  thy  town 
of  Kief."  And  therewith  he  cast  aside  his  mean 
garment,  and  his  apparel  beneath  gleamed  fair,  so 
that  all  the  people  fell  to  the  earth  in  wonder  at 
its  beaut}^  In  the  front  of  his  cap  sat  the  fair 
red  sun ;  on  its  back,  the  radiant  moon ;  on  his 
crest  a  flame  seemed  ever  burning. 

Then  he  touched  his  clasps  in  semblance  of 
small  singing  birds — they  straightway  hopped  and 
twittered.  He  pulled  his  loops — dragons  and 
fierce  lion-beasts  were  they,  that  crawled  and 
leaped,  and  hissed  and  roared.  Then  all  the  folk 
were  terrified,  and  fell  to  the  damp  earth,  and 
with  them  Churilo  the  Fop.  Lord  Diuk  alone 
stood  firm. 

"Thou  hast  won,  good  youth,"  spake  Vladimir; 
and  besought  him  :  "  Spare  me  at  least  a  rem- 
nant of  my  people.  Call  back  thy  beasts  and 
birds." 

This  Diuk  did,  and  all  Kief  gave  him  thanks  for 
having  outshone  Churilo  in  foppery.  And  with 
the  thirty  thousand,  Churilo's  wager,  he  bought 
green  wine,  and  gave  to  all  the  people  freely. 

But  Churilo  Plenkovich  was  out  of  measure 
wroth,  and  said  :  "  Ai,  young  Lord  Diuk  Stepano- 
vich  !    let  us  make  yet  another  great  wager.     Let 

124 


DIUK   STEPANOVICH 

us  prove  now  whose  horse  shall  leap  the  Dnyepr 
river  (for  Mother  Dnyepr  is  three  versts  in  breadth), 
and  our  turbulent  heads  shall  be  the  stakes.  He 
whose  horse  leapeth  not  over  shall  yield  his  turbu- 
lent head  to  be  hewn  off  by  the  other." 

"  I  have  but  my  poor  travelling  nag,"  young 
Diuk  made  answer.  Yet  did  he  accept  the  chal- 
lenge ;  and  going  forth  to  his  good  steed  in  the 
stall,  he  wept. 

"  Ai,  my  Shaggy,  my  good  dapple-bay  ! 
Knowest  thou  not  of  my  great  misfortune  ?  If 
thou  leap  not  fairly  over  Mother  Dnyepr  river, 
they  will  cut  off  my  tempestuous  head  : — and  the 
breadth  of  Mother  Dnyepr  is  three  versts.  But  if 
thou  canst  not  leap  the  Dnyepr  flood,  then  will  I 
go  seek  my  cross-brother,  Ilya  of  Murom,  the  Old 
Kazak,     He  will  aid  us." 

Good  Shaggy  replied  in  human  speech  :  "  Weep 
not,  pathetic  master  mine  !  Not  over  Mother 
Dnyepr's  flood  alone  will  I  leap,  but  yet  three 
versts  upon  the  further  shore  will  I  bear  thee  on 
my  outstretched  pinions.  If  I  yield  not  to  my 
elder  brothers,  much  less  will  I  give  way  before 
the  younger.  For  my  eldest  brother  is  with  Ilya 
of  Murom,  my  second  with  Dobrynya  Nikitich  :  I 
am  the  third,  and  Churilo's  steed  is  but  the  fourth 
of  us." 

Then  Diuk  saddled  his  good  steed  with  his  own 
hands,  and  rode  far  out  over  the  open  plain,  with 
Churilo  Fop  to  Mother  Dnyepr  river.  Many 
mighty  heroes,  princes,  nobles,  and  of  the  common 
folk  of  Kief  not  a  few,  went  also  to  view  that 
contest. 

"  Do  thou  leap  first,"  said  Churilo  Fop. 

"  Nay,"  quoth  Diuk ;  "  leap  thou  the  first.  And 
when  we  leap  together  in  India,  then  will  I  take 
the  lead." 

125 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

So  Churilo  made  ready  to  leap.  His  good  steed 
reared  upon  his  hind  legs  on  the  bank,  and  essayed 
the  flight,  but  floundered  in  mid-stream. 

Then  Diuk  essayed.  His  good  steed  bore  him 
in  safety  past  the  flood,  and  turning  leaped  back 
whence  he  came.  As  he  flew,  Diuk  grasped 
Churilo  by  his  yellow  curls,  and  dragged  him  to 
the  shore,  and  so  to  Prince  Vladimir's  presence, 
where  he  would  have  cut  off  his  turbulent  head. 

But  all  the  old  women,  young  wives,  and  lovely 
maids  of  Kief  began  to  beseech  Diuk  urgently  that 
he  would  spare  the  life  of  Churilo  the  handsome 
Fop ;    and  royal  Vladimir  spoke  also  in  his  behalf. 

Then  Diuk  gave  Churilo  a  mighty  kick :  "  Go, 
Fop,  bewept  of  women,  since  Prince  Vladimir 
entreateth ;  go  sit  among  the  women,  and  dally 
with  the  maids.  But  come  thou  never  more  into 
the  company  of  heroes,  weak  dangler  after  women, 
and  beloved  of  ancient  crones  !  " 

But  Churilo  spoke  with  malice  :  "  Fair  lord, 
Prince  Vladimir,  if  this  child  boasteth  with  reason, 
let  us  send  talesmen  to  the  splendid  Indian  land, 
to  take  lists  of  all  his  cattle  and  possessions." 

"  Whom  shall  we  send?  "  said  courteous  Prince 
Vladimir. 

"  Let  Alyosha  Popovich  go." 

"  Nay  !  Alyosha  shall  not  go  to  my  India," 
quoth  Diuk :  "  for  he  hath  pope's  eyes,  greedy  eyes, 
and  pope's  pilfering  hands.     He  will  never  return." 

Then  he  sat  down  in  a  folding-chair  at  the 
oaken  table,  and  wrote  a  billet  with  haste.  And, 
having  fastened  it  to  an  arrow,  he  shot  it,  bidding 
it  fly  forth  to  Old  Kazak  Ilya  in  the  open  plain, 
and  crave  his  aid. 

Then  Ilya  sent  Dobrynya  to  inquire  what  aid 
Lord  Diuk  required;  and  if  Dobrynya  might  not 
render  it,  then  would  he  come  himself. 

126 


DIUK   STEPANOVICH 

"  Ho,  Dobrynya  Nikitich  !  Thou  shalt  go  to 
my  India,"  said  Diuk  then ;  "  but  not  Alyosha  with 
his  greedy  pope's  eyes  and  thieving  fingers." 

So  Vladimir  appointed  Dobrynya  and  two  more 
to  make  the  hsts.  If  Diuk  had  the  greater  posses- 
sions, then  should  Vladimir  become  his  vassal :  and 
contrariwise,  if  Diuk's  brags  were  not  established, 
then  should  he  serve  Vladimir  loyally  so  long  as 
he  lived. 

"  Take  paper  for  three  years  and  for  three  days," 
quoth  Diuk,  "  for  six  scribes  may  not  write  the 
tale  of  my  possessions  in  twenty  years.  And  of  a 
surety,  ye  shall  do  homage  to  my  serving-maids, 
mistaking  them  for  my  lady  mother." 

Then  the  talesmen  set  out,  and  with  them  went 
three  great  carts  of  paper.  When,  after  long 
wanderings,  they  came  to  India  the  Rich,  they 
climbed  a  lofty  mountain,  and  beheld  the  land 
glowing  before  them.  And  one  said  :  "  Of  a 
surety.  Lord  Diuk  hath  sent  warning  to  his  native 
land,  that  they  should  set  on  fire  great  India  the 
Rich,  for  lo  !  it  burnetii  !  " 

But  when  they  drew  near  they  saw  that  it  was 
but  the  golden  roofs  of  the  dwellings  flaming,  and 
the  temples'  precious  domes  w^hich  glowed,  and  the 
ways  strewn  with  tawny-yellow  sand  and  spread 
with  fair  cloth  of  scarlet.  Diuk's  palace  of  white 
stone  had  three  and  thirty  towers  which  flowed 
together  at  one  point ;  their  domes  all  were  sheathed 
with  green  copper,  more  precious  than  red  gold. 
About  the  palace  lay  a  garden  of  seventy  versts, 
set  with  all  manner  of  pleasant  fruit-trees  and  of 
shrubs,  walled  about  with  a  lofty  railing  of  carven 
pillars  of  gold,  surmounted  by  knobs  of  copper, 
and  the  gates  were  of  fair  brass.  In  the  court, 
maids  richly  apparelled  walked  with  the  serving- 
men,  or  played  at  chess. 

127 


EPIC   SONGS   OF  RUSSIA 

Within,  the  palace  was  reared  upon  three  hun- 
dred pillars  of  silver,  four  hundred  of  gold,  and 
others  innumerable  of  precious  copper  and  of  iron. 
In  all  Kief  was  nothing  like  it,  and  all  Kief  town 
would  not  suffice  to  purchase  that  palace  alone; 
and  through  the  town  flowed  a  river  of  gold. 

The  talesmen  feared  to  enter;  but  when  at 
length  they  did  so,  and  came  to  the  first  tower, 
they  found  an  aged  woman  of  motherly  aspect : 
her  garments  were  of  pure  silver,  with  but  small 
admixture  of  silk,  and  they  bowed  to  the  earth 
before  her. 

"  Hail,  most  honourable  widow,  Amalfya  Timo- 
feevna,  mother  to  Lord  Diuk  Stepanovich  !  "  they 
said. 

"  I  am  not  the  Lord  Diuk's  mother,"  said  the 
woman.     "  I  am  his  cowherd." 

Then  the  talesmen  were  sore  vexed  and  shamed, 
that  they  should  have  done  reverence  to  Diuk's 
cowherd  because  of  her  rich  array,  and  inquired 
no  further  that  day,  but  went  and  pitched  a  tent 
without  the  town,  and  there  abode  that  night. 

The  next  day  they  came  again  to  the  lordly 
palace,  and  essayed  the  second  tower.  There  they 
found  an  aged  woman  of  reverend  mien,  clad  in 
silver  and  gold ;  and  to  her  they  did  homage.  But 
she  refused  it,  saying,  "  I  am  the  Lord  Diuk's 
washerwoman. ' ' 

And  in  like  manner,  to  their  exceeding  shame 
and  great  amaze,  they  bowed  before  Diuk's  cook, 
his  chamber-women,  his  baker  of  cakes,  his  nurse, 
and  others, — all  women  of  stately  mien  and  vener- 
able aspect,  and  more  richly  arrayed  than  the 
Princess  Apraxia  on  festal  days. 

At  length  the  nurse  told  them  that  the  honour- 
able widow  was  gone  to  the  long  mass,  and  that 
they  might  know  her  as  she  came  thence  by  these 

128 


DIUK   STEPANOVICH 

signs  :  Before  her  would  come  a  host  with  shovels, 
and  then  a  host  of  sweepers,  to  make  all  clean,  and 
sprinkle  orange-tawny  sand,  and  others  still  spread- 
ing cloth  of  scarlet.  Then  would  follow  the  most 
honourable  widow,  Amalfya  Timofeevna,  supported 
on  either  hand  by  scores  of  maidens. 

"Ye  must  not  salute  all  the  women  in  rich 
raiment  like  this  of  mine,  whom  you  shall  meet," 
spoke  the  nurse ;  "  for  of  such  there  are  very  many 
in  this  town,  and  ye  would  never  make  an  end." 

So  they  went  forth  to  meet  the  honourable  lady, 
and  when  she  came,  attended  as  had  been  described 
to  them,  they  were  dazzled,  and  bowed  to  the 
earth.  The  red  sun  glowed  upon  her  brow,  the 
bright  moon  and  thick-clustering  stars  gleamed  fair 
behind,  and  her  attire  was  rich  beyond  compare. 

The  lady  returned  their  greeting  courteously, 
and  inquired  why  they  were  come  thither. 

"  Lord  Diuk  sent  us,"  they  made  answer,  "  to 
take  rate  of  his  cattle  and  goods." 

"That  ye  cannot  do,"  quoth  she;  "yet  come 
first  and  eat  bread  and  salt  with  me,  and  feast : 
then  will  I  show  you  what  ye  list." 

— ^At  that  feast  were  white  swans,  and  great 
abundance  of  all  choice  viands,  green  wine  and 
sweet  liquors,  and  cakes  of  fine  wheaten  flour,  such 
as  Diuk  had  spoken  of  in  Kief,  for  which  their 
souls  burned.  After  they  had  eaten  and  drunken 
all  they  would,  the  honourable  widow  showed  them 
first,  Diuk's  horses ;  and  they  would  have  counted 
them— but  could  not.  Then  she  showed  them 
Diuk's  foot-gear;  this  also  they  would  have  reck- 
oned—and could  not.  After  that,  she  led  them 
to  the  deep  vaults  with  vents  to  the  open  plain, 
where  swung  the  gold-hooped  casks  of  silver  in 
their  chains  of  brass,  and  murmured  like  white 
swans  in  sweet  converse  on  the  bosom  of  tranquil 
K  129 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

bays;  and  to  the  treasury  of  trappings  for  the 
horses.  Three  years  they  sat  and  reckoned  what 
might  be  the  value  of  the  Lord  Diuk's  saddle  of 
state,  incrusted  with  jewels,  and  of  exceeding  rich 
workmanship — and  could  not  so  much  as  begin  to 
compute  it. 

Then  they  sent  word  to  Kief,  to  royal  Vladimir  : 
"  Sell  Kief  for  paper,  and  Chernigof  for  ink,  and 
then,  mayhap,  we  may  make  a  beginning  of  reckon- 
ing Diuk's  great  possessions." 

When  courteous  Prince  Vladimir  heard  that,  he 
spoke  :  "  I  pray  thee.  Lord  Diuk,  be  my  guest  in 
the  lofty  palace,  taste  of  my  bread  and  salt,  and 
carve  the  white  swan;  and  trade  thou  evermore 
in  Kief  without  tax." 

"  Nay,  Prince  Vladimir,"  young  Diuk  made 
answer;  "the  Fair  Sun  gave  forth  no  warmth  in 
the  morning,  and  at  eventide  he  will  give  no  heat. 
No  courtesy  hast  thou  used  with  the  youth  when 
he  came,  and  thou  shalt  have  no  profit  of  him 
now." 

A  little  space  thereafter,  went  Prince  Vladimir 
and  Churilo  Fop,  and  all  the  princes,  nobles,  and 
scribes,  to  Volhynia  town  in  India  the  Rich,  to 
view  and  compute  Diuk's  possessions.  When  they 
came  to  Diuk's  dwelling,  they  marvelled  greatly, 
for  such  a  palace  even  royal  Vladimir  himself  had 
never  yet  beheld, — and  they  feared  to  enter. 

So  young  Lord  Diuk  took  the  Fair  Sun  by  the 
hand,  and  led  him  in.  One  half  the  floor  was  of 
crystal;  beneath  flowed  limpid  water,  and  in  the 
water  swam  fishes  of  many  hues,  and  sported. 
When  they  lashed  the  water  with  their  tails,  the 
crystal  floor  resounded.  Prince  Vladimir  held  back, 
fearing  to  tread  thereon,  but  Diuk  led  him  still 
forward,  for  so  they  must  needs  go;  and  at  the 
golden  tables  they  feasted  on  viands  such  as  they 

130 


DIUK   STEPANOVICH 

had  never  so  much  as  heard  of,  and  drank  Hquors 
which  they  had  never  seen,  no  whit  worse  than 
Lord  Diuk  had  bragged. 

Then  Prince  Vladimir  inquired  for  his  talesmen, 
and  they  were  led  to  him ;  and  lo  !  they  were  all 
withered  up  like  shavings,  for  grief  that  they  could 
not  compute  the  value  of  so  much  as  one  saddle. 

But  Vladimir  looked  on  the  saddle,  and  said  : 
"Of  a  truth,  he  who  wrought  that  may  alone 
compute  its  worth." 

So  Prince  Vladimir  acknowledged  himself  vassal 
to  Lord  Diuk,  as  they  had  agreed ;  but  Diuk  said  : 

"  I  need  thy  service  not.  Go  home,  and  look  to 
it  that  henceforth  the  unknown  man  and  stranger 
suffer  no  offence  in  thy  house." 


131 


Vasily  the  Drunkard  and  Tzar  Batyg 

FROM  beneath  the  cross  Levanidof,^  from  be- 
neath the  birch  so  white,  issued  forth  two 
aurochs,  and  three  aurochs,  and  roamed 
past  Kief  town. 

By  Kief  they  beheld  a  wondrous  marvel,  a 
marvellous  wonder  :  a  damsel  came  forth,  weep- 
ing bitterly,  and  bearing  in  her  hands  the  book  of 
the  Holy  Gospel.  And  as  she  read,  she  wept  in 
twofold  measure. 

Then  the  aurochs  went  to  their  mother  :  "  Hail, 
mother  aurochs  !  "  said  they;  "  we  have  been  to 
Kief  town,  and  beheld  a  marvel :  "  and  they  told 
her  of  the  damsel. 

"  Foolish  aurochs  are  ye,  little  children  !  "  quoth 
mother  aurochs.  "  That  was  no  damsel  weeping 
sore,  but  the  city  wall  lamenting,  for  she  hath 
foreseen  ill  fortune  for  Kief.  Tzar  Batyg  ^  is  come 
with  his  son,  his  son-in-law,  and  with  his  learned 
scribe.  His  son's  host  numbereth  forty  thousand ; 
the  host  of  his  son-in-law,  forty  thousand ;  and  the 
learned  scribe's  no  less." 

— Batyg  marched  to  Kief  town,  pitched  his 
white  pavilions,  and  demanded  of  Prince  Vladimir 
an  adversary  in  single  combat. 

Now,  it  chanced  by  evil  fortune,  that  the  best  of 
the  heroes  were  not  in  Kief  town.     Ilya  had  been 

^  Or  Levantinof ,  in  one  version  :  the  cross  of  the  East. 
-  See  Appendix. 

132 


VASILY   AND   TZAR   BATYG 

despatched  to  the  Latinsky  land  to  buy  heroic 
steeds,  Dobrynya  to  the  Cherkessian  country  for 
saddles,  and  Alyosha  to  the  Sorochinsky  land  for 
wheat. 

But  there  dwelt  in  Kief  in  those  days  a  hero 
and  good  youth,  Vasily  Ignatievich  by  name, 
who  abode  in  the  imperial  pot-house.  He  had 
squandered  in  drink  his  wife's  dowry  and  all  his 
possessions. 

"  Ho  there,  ye  princes  and  nobles  !  "  quoth 
Prince  Vladimir ;  "  summon  Vasily  Ignatievich 
hither  to  inc." 

Then  the  nobles  went  to  the  royal  pot-house, 
and  sought  out  Vasily,  and  addressed  to  him  these 
words  : 

"  Ho  there,  little  Vasily  the  Drunkard  !  Why 
dost  thou  lie  there  naked  on  the  oven,  without  a 
thread  ?  Nothing  knowest  thou,  nor  carest.  Tzar 
Batyg  hath  come  upon  us,  and  is  now  before  Kief. 
The  dog  hath  written  to  our  Prince,  and  maketh 
boast :  '  I  will  burn  and  rase  Kief  town,  I  will 
dissolve  God's  churches  in  smoke,  I  will  take 
captive  the  Prince  and  his  Princess.'  And  us,  the 
princes  and  nobles,  he  will  seethe  in  a  kettle." 

Then  Vasily  slipped  down  from  the  oven,  barred 
up  the  pot-house,  making  all  very  fast,  tore  from 
the  princes  and  nobles  all  their  fair  apparel, 
wrenched  out  a  door-post,  and  belaboured  the 
men  upon  their  naked  ribs,  pursuing  them  even 
to  the  royal  court. 

When  Vladimir  looked  on  them  he  smiled,  and 
said  :  "  Ho,  my  princes  and  nobles  ;  have  ye  drunk 
or  gamed  ?  " 

"  Little  father  !  Prince  Vladimir,"  they  made 
answer,  "  we  have  neither  drunk  nor  gamed,  but 
Vasily  the  Drunkard  hath  done  us  this  dishonour." 

"  Ah,  ye  stupid  nobles  and  senseless  !  "  quoth 
133 


EPIC   SONGS   OF  RUSSIA 

Vladimir,  "  ye  have  not  appeased  the  youth,  but 
irritated  him." 

Then  Vladimir  went  himself  to  the  royal  pot- 
house, prayed  before  the  Wonder-working  holy 
picture,  saluted  on  all  four  sides,  with  a  special 
reverence  to  Vasily,  and  spoke  to  him  in  the  words 
of  the  princes  and  nobles. 

"  Fetch  me  a  little  cup  of  drunkenness,  little 
father.  Prince  Vladimir  !  "  quoth  Vasily,  "  the  cup 
from  which  drinketh  Ilya  of  Murom." 

— ^Now  Ilya's  cup  held  six  buckets  and  a  half; 
but  he  drained  it  dry. 

"  Fetch  yet  another  cup  for  health,  little  father ; 
the  one  from  which  drinketh  Dobrynya  Nikitich." 

And  that  cup,  of  four  buckets  and  a  half,  Vasily 
drained  also ;  and  yet  a  third,  the  cup  of  Alyosha, 
of  two  buckets  and  a  half. 

Then  Vasily  said  :  "  Now  I  may  sit  my  horse, 
and  wield  my  sword  of  ninety  poods." 

Thereupon  he  went  forth  upon  the  city  wall,  and 
from  the  angle  tower  thereon  he  shot  an  arrow 
which  slew  three  of  Batyg's  best  heads — his  son, 
his  son-in-law,  and  his  cunning  scribe. 

Tzar  Batyg  had  fleet  horses  and  good,  and  he 
sent  swift  messengers  to  Kief  town,  demanding 
that  the  offender  be  delivered  up  to  him  forthwith. 
But  Kief  town  is  not  small ;  a  falcon  may  not  fly 
about  it  in  a  summer's  day,  nor  a  little  bird  soar 
across — and  the  guilty  man  could  not  be  found. 

Vasily  mounted  his  good  steed,  and  clad  in  war- 
like array,  with  his  Tatar  spear,  his  sword  of  ninety 
poods,  his  stout  bow,  and  gilded  arrows,  sallied 
forth  before  the  face  of  Batyg. 

"  Hail,  Tzar  Batyg  !  "  he  said.  "  Wilt  thou 
receive  me  as  thy  comrade  ?  We  will  take  Kief 
together,  we  will  burn  and  destroy  it,  and  God's 
temples  we  will  turn  to  dust." 

134 


VASILY  AND   TZAR  BATYG 

Tzar  Batyg  was  beguiled  with  his  speech ;  and 
when  Vasily  asked  for  forty  thousand  men  to  take 
Kief,  he  gave  them  gladly.  Then  Vasily  rode 
forth  into  the  open  plain  with  this  host,  made  a 
turn  to  the  right,  unsheathed  his  sword  of  ninety 
poods,  and  cut  down  and  slew  them  to  the  last 
man. 

Then  he  returned  again  to  the  face  of  Batyg. 

"  Forgive  this  my  first  fault,"  he  said;  "  I  have 
lost  that  host  of  forty  thousand.  But  I  have  spied 
out  Kief  town  and  viewed  it,  where  the  gates  arc 
open  and  unbarred." 

So  Tzar  Batyg  gave  him  another  band  of  forty 
thousand,  and  forty  forties  of  black  sables,  besides 
gold  and  silver  without  measure. 

Again  Vasily  rode  to  the  open  plain ;  and  having 
cut  down  and  slain  his  host,  he  returned  to  Batyg 
craving  pardon  and  yet  another  troop. 

Tzar  Batyg  gave  them,  and  rich  presents  like- 
wise;  but  when  Vasily  had  slain  these  men  also, 
Batyg  took  a  spyglass  and  viewed  the  glorious 
open  plain,  and  beheld  the  evil  deed. 

Then  he  assembled  his  good  steeds,  and  returned 
to  his  own  country,  and  swore  an  oath  never  more 
to  lay  siege  to  Kief  town,  for  in  Kief  was  no  lack 
of  heroes. 

And  from  that  day  forth  they  began  to  sing  the 
Song  of  Vasily,  which  shall  be  sung  for  evermore. 


135 


Ilya  and   Idol 


MIGHTY  Ivaniusho  arrayed  himself  and  set 
out  for  Jerusalem,  to  pray  to  the  Lord,  to 
bathe  in  Jordan,  to  kiss  the  cypress  tree, 
and  to  visit  the  grave  of  the  Lord. 

Mighty  Ivaniusho's  foot-gear  was  of  the  seven 
silks,  his  hooked  staff  weighed  forty  poods ;  into 
his  foot-gear  precious  stones  were  woven.  On 
summer  days  his  course  was  lighted  by  the  fair 
red  sun ;  in  winter,  by  a  precious  jewel. 

As  he  returned  from  Jerusalem  he  passed  Tzar- 
grad,  and  found  that  the  accursed  Idol  was  come 
thither,  that  the  holy  ikons  had  been  shattered 
and  trodden  in  the  mire,  and  horses  were  fed  in 
the  temple  of  God.  Then  mighty  Ivaniusho 
caught  a  Tatar  by  the  breast,  dragged  him  forth 
into  the  open  plain,  and  began  to  inquire  of  him  : 

"  Tell  me  now,  thou  faithless  Tatar  !  Conceal 
nothing  :  what  manner  of  man  is  yon  accursed 
Idol  ?     Is  he  great  of  stature  ?  ' ' 

Said  the  Tatar  :  "  Our  Idol  is  three  fathoms, 
well  measured,  in  height,  and  three  in  breadth ;  his 
head  is  like  a  beer-kettle,  his  eyes  like  drinking- 
cups.  His  nose  is  an  ell  long  from  its  root,  and  he 
cheweth  the  cud  like  an  aurochs." 

Ivaniusho  caught  the  accursed  Tatar  by  the 
hand,  and  hurled  him  upon  the  open  plain ;  and 
the  bones  of  the  Tatar  flew  asunder.     Then  Ivani- 

136 


ILYA   AND    IDOL 

usho  pursued  his  journey,  and  met  Ilya  of  Murom 
in  the  way. 

"  Hail,  Ilya  of  Murom,  thou  Old  Kazak  !  "  said 
Ivaniusho ;  and  they  greeted  each  other  there. 

"  Whence  wanderest  thou,  mighty  Ivaniusho  ?  " 
inquired  Ilya.     "  Whither  lieth  thy  road?  " 

Then  Ivaniusho  told  him  how  he  had  been  to 
Jerusalem,  and  had  passed  Tzargrad ;  and  Ilya 
began  to  inquire  of  him  : 

"  Is  all  in  Tzargrad  as  of  old?  Is  all  as  it  was 
wont  to  be  ?  " 

"  Nay,"  said  Ivaniusho  ;  and  he  told  Ilya  of  the 
conquest,  and  how  God's  temples  were  defiled. 

"  A  fool  thou  art,  stout  and  mighty  Ivaniusho  !  " 
cried  the  Old  Kazak.  "  Thy  strength  is  as  twice 
my  strength,  but  thy  boldness  and  daring  are  not 
as  the  half  of  mine.  For  thy  first  speech  I  could 
have  pitied  thee,  but  for  this  last  I  could  have 
chastised  thee  upon  thy  naked  body  !  Why  hast 
thou  not  delivered  Tzar  Constantine  ?  ^  But  now, 
undo  quickly  thy  foot-gear  of  the  seven  silks  from 
thy  feet,  and  put  on  my  inorocco  shoes,  for  I  will 
go  sadly  as  a  wandering  psalm-singer." — And  it 
grieved  hiin  to  give  his  good  horse  to  the  pilgrim. — 
"  Ride  softly  as  water  floweth,"  he  said;  "  reinain 
in  some  place  of  easy  access,  and  wait  for  me,  for 
I  shall  soon  return.  And  give  hither  thy  staff  of 
forty  poods." 

Then  Ilya  strode  on  quickly,  and  each  stride  was 
a  verst  and  a  half  in  length  : — and  when  he  came 
to  Tzargrad,  he  shouted  with  full  might  : 

^  In  some  variants,  Idolishe  (the  Idol  or  Idolater)  attacks 
Prince  Vladimir,  and  the  scene  is  laid  in  Kief.  This  version  has 
been  chosen  as  an  interesting  instance  of  the  adaptation  of  a 
hylina  to  different  localities.  He  came  to  Kief,  the  minstrel 
explained,  as  a  punishment  for  the  Princess  Apraxia's  sin  against 
Kasyan  Mikailovich. 

137 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

"  Ho  there,  Tzar  Constantine  !  Give  gold,  give 
saving  alms  to  a  wandering  psalm-singer." 

Tzar  Constantine  rejoiced,  and  at  the  singer's 
shout,  the  forty  towers  rocked,  the  liquor  on  the 
tables  splashed  over,  damp  mother  earth  quivered, 
and  the  palace  of  white  stone  heaved  from  corner 
to  corner.  At  the  third  shout  the  accursed  Idol  was 
greatly  terrified,  and  spoke  to  Tzar  Constantine. 

"  Your  Russian  psalm-singers  are  loud-voiced 
fellows,"  quoth  Idol.  "  Receive  this  pilgrim,  feed 
him,  give  him  drink  and  gold  at  thy  pleasure." 

Constantine  went  forth  upon  the  railed  balcony, 
and  bade  the  pilgrim  enter.  And  when  the  pilgrim 
had  eaten  and  drunk,  the  Idol  took  him  to  himself 
to  question  : 

"  Tell  me  truly,  thou  Russian  pilgrim,  and  con- 
ceal nothing.  What  manner  of  heroes  have  ye 
in  Russia  ?  And  your  Old  Kazak,  Ilya  of  Murom, 
— is  he  great  of  stature  ?  Can  he  devour  much 
bread,  drink  much  green  wine?  " 

And  that  Russian  pilgrim  made  answer  :  "  Yea, 
thou  accursed  Idol.  We  have  Ilya  of  Murom  in 
Kief,  and  his  stature  differeth  not  from  mine  by  so 
much  as  a  hair's  breadth.  We  have  been  brothers 
in  arms.  His  beard  is  gray  but  handsome.  Of 
bread  he  eateth  three  consecrated  loaves,  and  his 
drink  is  two  cups  of  green  wine." 

"  A  fine  hero,  in  sooth,  for  Kief  !  "  quoth  Idol, 
"  If  I  had  but  that  hero  in  this  place,  I  would 
set  him  on  the  palm  of  one  hand,  and  with  the 
other  I  would  press  him  until  he  became  a  pancake. 
And  I  would  blow  him  away  into  the  open  plain  ! 
For  lo  !  I  am  Idol,  three  fathoms  in  height,  and 
my  breadth  is  three  fathoms  well  told,  I  can  put 
a  loaf  in  one  cheek,  and  the  same  in  the  other,  and 
a  white  swan  is  but  a  mouthful  for  me.  I  eat 
seven  poods  of  bread  and  three  oxen  at  a  meal, 

138 


ILYA  AND   IDOL 

with  wine  in  due  proportion, — a  cask  of  forty 
V)iickcts 

"  The  pope  of  Rostof  had  a  greedy  cow,"  said 
Ilya.  "  She  ate  and  ate,  and  drank  until  she 
burst." 

This  speech  pleased  not  Idol  the  Accursed.  He 
seized  his  poniard  from  the  oaken  table,  and  hurled 
it  at  Ilya  of  Murom,  that  wandering  psalm-singer. 
But  Ilya  was  nimble  of  foot,  and  leaped  quickly 
aside  upon  the  oven,  and  turning,  caught  the 
weapon  in  its  flight,  upon  his  staff.  The  poniard 
glanced  off,  struck  the  white  oak  door;  the  door 
flew  from  its  fastenings ;  the  poniard  bounded  into 
the  ante-room,  slew  twelve  Tatars,  and  wounded 
yet  another  twelve.  Ilya  snatched  his  little  cap 
of  nine  poods  from  his  head,  and  flung  it  at  Idol 
the  Accursed,  and  Idol  flew  through  the  wall  into 
the  open  plain.  Then  Ilya  sprang  into  the  great 
courtyard,  waved  his  staff,  slew  all  the  accursed 
Tatars,  cleared  the  city  of  Tzargrad,  and  dehvered 
Tzar  Constantine. 


139 


Dobrynya  and  the  Dragon 

YOUNG  Dobrynya  took  his  stout,  death-deal- 
ing bow,  his  fiery  Uttle  arrows,  and  went 
a-hunting,  and  came  to  the  Blue  Sea. 

At  the  first  bay  he  found  no  geese,  swans,  nor 
small  gray  ducks ;  neither  did  he  find  them  at  the 
second  bay,  nor  at  the  third.  Then  Dobrynya's 
restive  heart  grew  hot  within  him ;  he  turned  about 
quickly  and  went  to  his  home,  to  his  mother,  sat 
down  upon  the  square  hewn  bench,  and  dropped 
his  eyes  upon  the  oaken  floor.  Therewith  came 
his  mother  to  him,  and  said  : 

"  Ai,  young  Dobrynushka  Nikitich  !  Thou  art 
returned  in  no  merry  mood." 

"  Ai,  my  mother  !  "  quoth  Dobrynya ;  "  give  me 
thy  leave  and  blessing  to  go  to  the  Puchai  river." 

"  Young  Dobrynya,"  his  mother  made  answer, 
"  I  will  give  neither  leave  nor  blessing.  None  who 
hath  gone  to  the  Puchai  stream  hath  ever  returned 
thence." 

"  Ai,  little  mother,"  said  Dobrynya,  "  if  thou 
give  thy  leave  I  will  go ;  and  if  thou  give  it  not, — I 
will  go." 

So  his  mother  consented.  He  threw  off  his 
flowered  raiment,  and  put  on  garments  meet  for  a 
journey,  and  on  his  head  a  wide-brimmed  hat  from 
the  Grecian  land.  Then  he  saddled  and  bridled  a 
o'ood  steed  which  no  man  had  ever  ridden,  took 

140 


DOBRYNYA  AND   THE   DRAGON 

his  stout  bow,  his  fiery  arrows,  his  sharp  sword 
and  far-reaching  spear,  and  his  battle -mace. 

And  as  he  rode  forth,  accompanied  by  his  Httle 
page,  his  mother  laid  her  commands  upon  him. 

"  If  thou  wilt  go  to  the  Puchai  river,  young  Do- 
brynya,  immeasurable  heats  shall  overcome  thee  : 
yet  bathe  thou  not  in  Mother  Puchai  flood ;  for 
she  is  fierce  and  angry.  From  her  first  stream  fire 
flasheth;  from  her  second,  sparks  shower;  from 
her  third,  smoke  poureth  in  a  pillar." 

— They  saw  the  good  youth  mounting,  they  saw 
him  not  as  he  rode, — there  seemed  but  a  wreath 
of  mist  far  out  on  the  open  plain. 

When  he  was  come  to  Mother  Puchai  river, 
intolerable  heat  overpowered  him,  and  he  heeded 
not  his  mother's  behest.  He  took  from  his  head 
his  cap  from  the  Grecian  land,  put  off  his  travelling 
garb,  his  shirt,  his  foot-gear  of  the  seven  silks,  and 
began  to  bathe  in  the  Puchai. 

"  My  mother  said  this  was  a  wild  and  angry 
stream,"  quoth  he;  "but  'tis  gentle — peaceful  as 
a  pool  of  rain-water."  He  dived  like  a  duck 
beneath  the  first  stream,  and  through  the  second 
likewise. — And  lo  !  there  was  no  wind,  but  the 
clouds  sailed  on ;  there  were  no  clouds,  yet  the  rain 
dropped  down ;  no  rain  was  there,  yet  the  light- 
ning flashed ;  no  lightning,  yet  sparks  showered 
fast.  No  thick  darkness  was  it  that  obscured  the 
sky,  nor  gloomy  clouds  descending,  but  a  fierce 
Dragon  flying  down  upon  Dobrynya,  the  savage 
Dragon  of  the  Cavern,  with  her  twelve  tails. 

"  Aha  !  young  Dobrynya  Nikitich  !  "  quoth  the 
Dragon.  "  Now  will  I  devour  Dobrynushka  whole  ! 
I  will  take  dear  little  Dobrynya  in  my  tail,  and  bear 
him  into  captivity." 

"  Ho,  thou  accursed  Dragon  !  "  said  Dobrynya. 
"  When  thou  shalt  have  captured  Dobrynya,  then 

141 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

will  be  the  fitting  time  to  boast ;  but  thou  hast 
not  yet  Dobrynya  in  thy  claws  !  "  Then  he  dived 
swiftly  beneath  the  first  stream,  and  out  through 
the  second.  But  his  young  page  had  been  over- 
hasty,  and  had  driven  away  Dobrynya's  good  steed ; 
he  had  carried  off  the  stout  bow,  the  sharp  sword, 
far-reaching  spear,  and  war-mace.  The  cap  alone 
was  left,  the  wide -brimmed  cap  from  the  Grecian 
land. 

Dobrynya  seized  his  cap,  filled  it  with  sand  from 
the  river-bank,  and  with  it  smote  the  cursed  worm, 
and  hewed  off  three  of  her  tails — the  best  of  all. 

Then  the  Dragon  of  the  Cavern  besought 
Dobrynya  : 

"  Ai,  thou  young  Dobrynya  Nikitich  !  Give  me 
not  over  to  fruitless  death,  shed  not  my  innocent 
blood  !  I  will  not  fly  in  Holy  Russia,  I  will  im- 
prison no  more  heroes,  nor  strangle  young  maidens, 
nor  orphan  little  children.  I  will  be  to  thee  a  sub- 
missive Dragon ;  and  thou,  Dobrynya,  shalt  be  my 
elder  brother,  and  I  will  be  thy  younger  sister." 

Dobrynya  was  taken  with  her  wiles,  and  loosed 
her  at  will,  and  returned  to  his  home,  to  his  mother, 
to  the  banquet  hall,  where  he  sat  himself  down  upon 
the  four-square  bench. 

But  the  wily  Dragon  raised  herself  upon  her 
wings  over  royal  Kief  town,  caught  up  Beauty, 
niece  to  Prince  Vladimir,  and  bore  her  off  to  a 
cavern  in  the  hills. 

At  that  time  Royal  Vladimir  made  an  honourable 
feast  for  many  princes,  nobles,  bold  warrior-maidens, 
mighty  heroes,  and  wandering  good  youths.  And 
Dobrynya  prayed  his  mother's  leave  and  blessing 
to  go  to  that  honourable  feast. 

"  Nay,"  she  made  answer  :  "  abide  thou  in  thine 
own  dwelling,  Dobrynya,  with  thy  mother;  drink 
green  wine  until  thou  art  full  drunken,  and  lavish 

142 


DOBRYNYA  AND   THE   DRAGON 

golden  treasure  at  thy  will.  But  go  not  to  this 
least."  But  when  her  son  would  have  gone  in 
any  case,  she  gave  both  leave  and  blessing,  and 
Dobrynya  arrayed  himself  as  was  meet. 

On  his  little  feet  he  put  shoes  of  green  morocco, 
with  lofty  heels  and  pointed  toes.  About  their 
sharp  peaks  an  egg  might  roll,  under  the  heels 
might  sparrows  fly.  His  garments  were  of  flowered 
stuffs,  his  mantle  of  black  sables  from  beyond  the  sea. 

He  saddled  his  good  steed,  and  rode  forth  to  the 
spacious  court.  When  he  was  come  thither  he 
bound  his  steed  in  the  centre,  to  the  ring  of  gold 
in  the  carven  pillar,  and  entered  the  banquet  hall. 
There  he  crossed  his  eyes  as  it  is  written,  he  did 
reverence  as  prescribed,  to  two,  to  three,  to  four 
sides,  and  to  the  Prince  and  Princess  in  particular. 
Then  they  led  him  to  the  great  place  of  honour  at 
the  oaken  board,  with  its  savoury  viands  and 
honeyed  drinks,  and  poured  him  a  cup  of  green 
wine,  a  second  of  beer,  a  third  of  sweet  mead  : — 
the  measure  of  that  cup  was  a  bucket  and  a  half, 
and  the  weight  thereof,  a  pood  and  a  half.  This 
Dobrynya  took  in  one  hand,  and  drained  at  one 
draught. 

Royal  Vladimir,  as  he  paced  the  banquet  hall, 
stroking  his  curls,  looked  on  the  heroes,  and  spoke 
this  word  :  "  Ai,  ye  stout  and  mighty  heroes  !  I 
will  lay  upon  you  a  great  service.  Ye  must  go  to 
the  Tugy  mountains,  to  the  fierce  Dragon  that  hath 
carried  off  our  royal  niece.  Beauty  the  Fair." 

Then  the  great  hid  behind  the  lesser,  and  they, 
in  turn,  behind  the  small,  and  from  the  least  in 
rank,  no  answer  came.  From  the  middle  table 
spoke  Semyon,  lord  of  Karamychetzka  :  "  Little 
father  !  Vladimir  of  royal  Kief  !  But  yesterday 
in  the  open  plain,  I  beheld  Dobrynya  beside  the 
Puchai  river  in  conflict  with  that  Dragon.     And 

143 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

the  Dragon  beguiled  him, — calHng  him  her  elder 
brother,  herself  his  younger  sister.  Sfnd  Do- 
brynya,  therefore,  to  the  Tugy  mountains,  for  the 
Princess  Beauty." 

So  Vladimir  laid  his  commands  on  Dobrynya, 
and  Dobrynya  mourned  and  was  sad.  He  sprang 
to  his  nimble  feet,  in  his  place  within  the  granite 
palace,  and  stamped  upon  the  oaken  floor.  The 
tables  rocked,  the  liquor  quivered  in  the  glasses, 
and  the  heroes  were  thrown  from  their  seats  with 
the  shock.  Dobrynya  rushed  forth  into  the  court- 
yard, loosed  his  good  steed  from  the  golden  ring, 
mounted  and  rode  to  his  own  dwelling.  When  he 
had  spread  fine  Turkish  wheat  before  the  horse,  in 
the  midst  of  his  own  courtyard,  he  entered  his 
mother's  dwelling,  sat  on  the  wall-bench,  and  hung 
his  turbulent  head. 

"  Why  art  thou  sad,  Dobrynya?  "  his  mother 
inquired  of  him.  "  Was  thy  seat  at  meat  not  to 
thy  liking,  or  unbefitting  thy  rank?  Did  the  cup 
pass  thee  by?  Did  some  drunken  boor  spit  in 
thine  eye,  or  did  the  fair  damsels  scoff  at  thee  ?  " 

"  Mine  was  the  place  of  honour  at  meat," 
Dobrynya  answered,  "the  greatest  place,  not  the 
least ;  no  fool  offended,  no  damsel  scoffed.  But 
Prince  Vladimir  hath  laid  upon  me  a  great  service. 
I  must  go  to  the  Tugy  mountains,  and  free  his 
niece  from  the  fierce  Dragon  of  the  Cave." 

"  Grieve  not,  Dobrynya,"  spoke  his  mother,  the 
honourable  widow,  Afimya  Alexandrevna.  "  Lie 
down  to  sleep  early  this  evening;  to-morrow  will 
be  wise,  for  the  morning  is  wiser  than  the  evening." 
Her  son  heeded  her ;  and  the  next  morning,  rising 
early,  he  washed  himself  very  white,  and  arrayed 
himself  for  the  journey. 

"  Be  not  sad,"  spoke  his  mother  :  "  thy  father 
went  to  the  glorious  Tugy  mountains  and  slew  an 

144 


DOBRYNYA  AND   THE   DRAGON 

accursed  serpent,  and  now  thou  must  needs  go 
thither  Hkewise.  Take  not  thy  swift,  stout  bow, 
nor  thy  war-club,  thy  far-reaching  spear,  nor  yet 
thy  sharp  sword.  I  will  give  thee  a  little  whip  of 
the  seven  silks,  which  thou  must  brandish ;  and  I 
will  give  thee  a  magic  kerchief.  Thy  right  hand 
will  droop,  the  light  will  fade  from  thine  eyes,  and 
the  Dragon  will  begin  to  drag  thee  away,  and  to 
hurl  thee  down,  and  the  little  dragons  to  bite  thy 
horse's  fetlocks  as  he  trampleth  on  them.  But 
take  thy  magic  kerchief,  lift  it  to  thy  white  face 
and  wipe  thy  clear  eyes,  and  thou  shalt  be  stronger 
than  before. — Then  draw  this  whip,  braided  of  the 
seven  silks,  from  thy  pocket,  and  beat  thy  good 
steed  between  the  ears  and  on  his  hind  legs.  With 
that  thy  brown  will  begin  to  prance,  and  will  shake 
off  the  Dragon's  brood  from  his  feet,  and  crush 
them  to  the  last  one.  And  brandish  this  silken 
whip ;  so  shalt  thou  bend  the  Dragon  to  earth  and 
subdue  it  like  a  Christian  beast ;  and  thou  shalt 
sever  its  twelve  tails,  and  give  it  over  to  speedy 
death." 

So  Dobrynya  mounted  his  good  steed,  and  rode 
to  the  Tugy  mountains  and  the  Dragon's  cavern. 
Twelve  days  he  rode,  and  ate  nothing  but  a  wheaten 
roll.  On  the  thirteenth  day  he  came  to  the  glori- 
ous hills,  but  the  Dragon  was  not  in  her  cave,  and 
the  Prince's  royal  niece  he  could  not  see.  Then 
he  began  to  trample  on  the  little  dragons,  and  they 
coiled  about  his  horse's  fetlocks  so  that  the  good 
brown  could  no  longer  leap.  He  drew  from  his 
pocket  the  little  whip  of  the  silks  of  Samarcand, 
and  beat  the  good  steed  between  the  ears  and  on 
his  hind  legs ;  the  good  brown  began  to  prance 
thereat,  shook  off  all  the  dragon  brood,  and  crushed 
them  to  the  very  last. 

Dobrynya  gazed  out  over  the  open  plain,  and 
L  145 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

lo  !  the  accursed  serpent  came  flying  towards  him. 
When  she  espied  him,  she  let  fall  from  her  claws 
upon  the  damp  earth,  the  soft,  thick  grass,  the  dead 
body  of  a  hero,  and  flew  straight  at  Dobrynya. 

"  Ai,  little  Dobrynya  Nikitich  !  Why  hast  thou 
broken  thine  oath,  and  crushed  all  my  little 
dragons  ?  " 

"  And  ai,  thou  accursed  Dragon  !  "  quoth  Do- 
brynya, "  what  devils  bore  thee  over  Kjef,  that 
thou  shouldest  seize  young  Beauty  Putyatichna  ? 
Yield  her  now  without  battle  or  bloodshed." 

"  Without  battle  and  bloodshed  I  will  not  yield 
the  Prince's  niece." 

So  they  waged  mighty  battle  all  that  day  until 
the  evening;  and  the  snake  began  greatly  to  pre- 
vail. Yet  Dobrynya,  recalling  his  mother's  counsel, 
wiped  his  clear  eyes  and  his  white  face  upon  the 
kerchief,  and  his  strength  was  greater  than  before. 
The  next  day  they  contended  until  the  evening, 
and  again  the  third  day,  so  that  Dobrynya  would 
have  fled  before  the  serpent.  But  a  voice  from 
heaven  warned  him  that  if  he  would  fight  yet  three 
hours  longer,  he  should  overcome  the  beast. 

He  fought  on,  but  might  not  endure  the  Dragon's 
blood,  so  great  was  the  flood  thereof.  Then  he 
would  have  left  the  Dragon,  but  the  voice  spoke 
yet  again  from  heaven  :  "  Tarry  yet  three  hours 
by  the  serpent,  Dobrynya.  Take  thy  far-reaching 
spear,  smite  upon  the  damp  earth,  and  conjure 
thy  spear  :  '  Yawn,  damp  mother  earth,  in  all  four 
quarters,  yawn  !     Suck  up  the  Dragon's  blood  !  '  " 

When  he  had  done  this,  and  had  fought  the 
three  hours,  he  overcame  the  beast.  Recalling  his 
mother's  behest,  he  drew  forth  his  whip  of  the 
silks  of  Samarcand,  hewed  off  the  twelve  tails,  cut 
the  sinuous  body  into  small  pieces,  and  strewed 
them  over  the  open  plain. 

146 


DOBRYNYA  AND   THE   DRAGON 

After  that,  he  entered  the  Dragon's  deep  den, 
and  released  the  Russian  prisoners, — Tzars,  Kings 
and  Princes  by  forties,  and  of  lesser  folk  many 
thousands, — and  bade  them  go  where  they  would. 
But  young  Beauty,  the  Princess,  he  could  not  find, 
until  he  came  to  the  farthest  den.  There  she  lay 
chained  with  hands  outstretched.  He  released  her 
straight,  and  led  her  forth  to  the  white  world. 
Then  he  mounted  his  good  steed,  and  setting 
Beauty  upon  his  right  hip,  rode  out  over  the 
plain. 

Said  Beauty  :  "  For  thy  great  service  I  would 
fain  now  call  thee  little  father,  but  that  I  may  not 
do ;  for  thy  great  deed,  I  would  call  thee  my  own 
brother,  yet  now  I  may  not ;  gladly  would  I  call 
thee  friend  and  lover,  but  that  thou  lovest  me  not, 
Dobrynushka." 

To  her  Dobrynya  made  answer  :  "  Ai,  Beauty 
Putyatichna  !  Thou  art  of  princely  birth,  and  I 
am  but  of  peasant  stock  :  ^  it  is  not  possible  for 
thee  to  call  me  friend  and  lover." 

As  they  thus  rode  over  the  plain,  they  came 
upon  the  traces  of  a  horse,  great  clods  of  earth 
cast  up,  so  that  one  might  sink  in  the  hollows, 
even  to  the  knee.  Dobrynya  followed  and  found 
Alyosha  Popovich  in  the  way. 

"  Ho  there,  Alyosha  Popovich  !  "  cried  he ; 
"  take  the  Princess  Beauty,  and  bear  her  in  honour 
to  Vladimir,  our  Fair  Sun  Prince  in  royal  Kief,  and 
thy  head  shall  answer  to  me  for  her."  And  this 
Alyosha  performed. 

When  he  had  thus  sent  away  Beauty,  Dobrynya 
followed  again  after  the  tracks,  and  came  upon  a 
hero  in  the  open  plain,  riding,  in  woman's  garb, 
upon  a  fair  and  goodly  horse. 

"  Eh  !  "  quoth  Dobrynya ;   "  this  is  no  hero,  but 

^  This  agrees  with  Vladimir's  uncle,  Dobrynya,  in  history. 
147 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

a  bold  damsel-errant,  some  maid  or  wife,  for- 
sooth !  "  Therewith  he  rode  after  the  warrior- 
maiden,  and  smote  her  upon  her  turbulent  head 
with  his  mace  of  damascened  steel.  But  the  warlike 
virgin  sat  her  good  steed  firmly,  wavering  not  nor 
glancing  back.  Dobrynya  sat  his  good  steed  in 
terror,  and  departed  from  that  bold  polyanitza  : 
"  Plainly,"  quoth  he,  "  Dobrynya's  valour  is  as  of 
yore,  but  his  strength  is  not  the  strength  of  other 
days." 

Now  there  stood,  near  by  in  the  plain,  a  damp 
oak,  six  fathoms  in  girth.  This  Dobrynya  smote 
Avith  his  mace,  and  shivered  into  atoms ;  and  he 
marvelled  greatly. 

"  Of  a  truth,"  he  said,  "  Dobrynya's  might  is  as 
of  old,  but  his  courage  is  not  the  courage  of  earlier 
days  !  " 

Then  he  again  rode  in  pursuit  of  the  bold  war- 
rior-maid, and  smote  her  honourably  upon  her 
tempestuous  head. — She  wavered  not,  glanced  not 
behind.  But  Dobrynya  was  sore  amazed,  and 
tested  his  might  upon  a  damp  oak  of  twelve 
fathoms, — and  shivered  it  in  splinters.  There- 
upon, Dobrynya  waxed  wroth,  as  he  sat  his  good 
steed,  and  rode  after  the  bold  virgin-warrior  a  third 
time,  and  smote  her  with  his  mace. 

Thereat  she  turned  and  spoke  :  "  Methought  the 
Russian  gnats  were  biting,  but  lo  !  'tis  the  Russian 
hero  tapping  !  " 

Then  she  seized  Dobrynya  by  his  yellow  curls, 
twisted  him  from  his  good  horse,  and  dropped  him 
into  her  deep  leather  pouch,  and  rode  her  way  over 
the  open  plain. 

At  length  her  good  steed  spoke  :  "  Ai,  thou 
young  Nastasya,    Mikula's  ^   daughter,   thou   bold 

^  Mikula  the  Villager's  Son;  and  father  to  Stavr's  wife, 
according  to  one  singer. 

148 


DOBRYNYA   AND   THE   DRAGON 

warrior-maid  !  Two  heroes  I  cannot  carry.  In 
might  that  knight  is  thine  equal,  and  the  courage 
of  that  knight  is  as  twice  thine." 

Quoth  young  Nastasya  MikuHchna  :  "  If  the 
hero  be  very  aged,  I  will  cut  off  his  head ;  if  he  be 
young  and  well  pleasing  in  my  sight,  I  will  call 
him  friend  and  lover;  if  he  please  me  not,  I  will 
set  him  on  one  of  my  palms,  and  press  him  with 
the  other,  and  make  a  pancake  of  him." 

Then  she  drew  him  forth  from  the  leather 
pouch,  and  liked  him  well.  "  Hail,  dearest  Do- 
brynya  Nikitich  !  "  quoth  she. 

"  How  knowest  thou  me,  bold  virgin  knight  ? 
for  thee  I  know  not." 

"  I  have  been  in  Kief  town,  and  have  seen  thee, 
Dobrynushka ;  but  thou  couldst  by  no  means  know 
me.  I  am  daughter  to  the  Polish  King,  young 
Nastasya  Mikulichna,  and  I  roam  the  open  plain, 
seeking  an  adversary.  If  thou  wilt  take  me  for 
thy  wife,  Dobrynya,  I  will  grant  thee  thy  life. 
And  thou  must  take  a  great  oath ;  if  thou  swear 
it  not,  I  will  make  of  thee  an  oat-cake." 

"  Leave  me  but  my  life,  young  Nastasya,  and  I 
will  take  that  great  oath,  and  I  will  take  also  the 
golden  crown  with  thee." 

So  they  took  the  oath,  and  set  out  for  Kief 
town,  to  courteous  Prince  Vladimir.  Dobrynya's 
mother  came  to  meet  them,  inquiring  :  "  Whom 
hast  thou  there,  Dobrynya  Nikitich?  " 

"  Ah,  Afimya  Alexandre vna,  thou  honourable 
widow  my  mother  !  I  bring  my  enemy,  young 
Nastasya  Mikulichna ;  I  am  to  take  the  golden 
crown  with  her." 

Then  they  went  to  Prince  Vladimir,  and  entered 
his  banquet  hall,  where  Dobrynya  did  reverence  to 
all,  and  in  especial,  to  the  Prince  and  Princess. 

"  Hail,  Fair  Sun  Vladimir  of  royal  Kief  !  " 
149 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

"  Hail,  Dobrynya  Nikitich  !  Whom  hast  thou 
there  ?  " 

Thereupon  Dobrynya  told  him  all;  Nastasya 
was  received  into  the  Christian  faith,  and  they  took 
the  golden  crowns.  Courteous  Vladimir  made  them 
a  great  feast  for  three  days ;  and  thereafter  they 
lived  happily  for  a  space. 


150 


Ivan  the  Merchant's  Son  and  his 
Horse 

IN  royal  Kief  town,  glorious  Prince   Vladimir 
held  a  mighty  feast,  for  his  princely  nobles, 
stout   Russian  heroes,    and    rich   merchants. 
The  day  was  half  spent,  the  feast  half  over,  and 
all  were  making  brags.     Prince  Vladimir  waxed 
merry,  and  paced  the  banquet  hall. 

"  Ho,  all  ye  princely  nobles,  and  Russian  heroes 
all,"  he  cried  at  length  :  "  I  too  can  boast.  I  have 
three  hundred  stallions,  and  three  of  exceeding 
merit  :  one  is  an  iron-gray,  the  second's  mane 
hangeth  all  to  one  side,  the  third  is  coal-black. 
Him  Ilya  of  Murom  captured  from  the  Dragon's 
Son,  Tugarin.  He  can  gallop  from  Kief  to  Cher- 
nigof,  between  mass  and  matins,  and  the  distance 
is  three  hundred  versts  and  thereto  thirty  versts 
and  three.  Is  there  in  all  Kief  town  a  man 
whose  horse  can  do  the  like?  "  All  hid,  and  made 
no  answer.  Then  Ivan  Merchant's  Son  stepped 
forth,  and  cried  in  piercing  tones  : 

"  Lord,  courteous  Prince  Vladimir,  such  a  horse 
have  I.  And  I  will  lay  a  great  wager; — not  a 
hundred  roubles,  nor  yet  a  thousand, — but  my 
turbulent  head  shall  be  the  stake, — that  he  will 
run  against  thy  horse  from  Kief  to  Chernigof, 
between  mass  and  matins,  as  thou  hast  said." 

151 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

"  What  devil  wilt  thou  ride,  then,  Ivan  ?  "  quoth 
Vladimir. 

With  that  all  the  princely  nobles  and  ship- 
merchants  staked  a  himdred  thousand  roubles  for 
the  Prince ;  but  none  laid  any  stake  for  Ivan,  save 
only  the  ruler  of  Chernigof. 

Then  with  speed  did  they  write  out  the  strong 
contracts,  and  set  their  white  hands  thereto,  that 
they  might  be  binding  and  effectual. 

And,  when  Ivan  Merchant's  Son  had  quaffed  a 
cup  of  green  wine,  of  a  bucket  and  a  half,  he 
saluted  all  and  went  forth. 

When  he  came  to  the  stall  of  white  oak  where 
stood  his  shaggy  brown  steed  of  three  years,  he 
fell  down  before  the  horse's  left  hoof,  and  wept  in 
floods.  "Help  me,  good  my  steed,"  quoth  he; 
and  told  him  of  the  great  wager. 

Thereto  his  shaggy  brown  made  answer  in 
human  Russian  tongue  :  "  Hey,  courteous  master 
mine  !  Thou  hast  no  cause  to  grieve.  I  fear  not 
that  iron-gray.  If  I  run  for  thy  wager,  I  shall 
outstrip  him.  But  do  thou  water  me  for  three 
dawns  with  mead,  and  feed  me  with  Sorochinsky 
wheat.  And  when  the  three  days  are  past,  a  stern 
messenger  shall  come  to  thee  from  the  Prince, 
bidding  thee  ride  against  him.  Then  saddle  me 
not,  Ivan,  but  take  me  by  my  silken  bridle,  and 
lead  me  to  the  royal  court.  Don  thy  mantle  of 
sables,^ — thy  mantle  of  three  thousand  roubles,  with 
its  embossed  clasps  of  five  hundred  roubles.  When 
thou  leadest  me  to  the  court,  I  shall  rear  up  and 
paw  thy  mantle,  and  nip  the  black  sables,  and 
prance  in  all  directions.  Then  shall  the  Prince 
and  his  nobles  marvel.  But  care  thou  not,  for  it 
shall  go  well  with  thee.  I  will  redeem  thy  turbu- 
lent head,  and  put  courteous  Prince  Vladimir  and 
my  elder  brother  to  shame." 

152 


IVAN  THE   MERCHANT'S   SON 

All  came  to  pass  as  the  shaggy  brown  had  fore- 
told. When  he  began  to  pluck  at  Ivan's  mantle, 
and  to  trample  on  the  black  sables,  all  the  princely 
nobles  and  rich  merchants  assembled  in  the  spacious 
royal  courtyard  stood  and  marvelled. 

"  Foolish  art  thou,  Ivan  Merchant's  Son  !  "  they 
cried.  "  Thy  good  steed  will  spoil  thy  mantle. 
Prince  Vladimir  gave  it  thee,  and  he  will  pardon  a 
great  wrong  rather  than  this." 

But  sweet  Ivan  made  answer  :  "The  foolish  are 
ye.  For  if  I  live  I  shall  win  another  mantle,  and 
if  I  die  I  shall  have  enjoyed  this." 

Then,  as  the  shaggy  brown  danced  about  the 
court,  he  began  to  roar  like  an  aurochs,  and  to  hiss 
like  a  dragon.  The  three  hundred  stallions  were 
affrighted,  and  fled  the  royal  court ;  the  iron-gray 
broke  two  legs,  the  long-maned  steed  his  neck; 
the  captive  black  fled,  neighing,  with  tail  uplifted, 
to  the  Golden  Horde,  leaping  the  Dnyepr  stream 
in  his  flight. 

All  who  saw  it  were  terrified,  and  Ivan  cried  : 
"  Is  it  not  time.  Prince  Vladimir,  for  us  to  set  out 
for  Chernigof  town?  " 

Prince  Vladimir  called  to  his  stable-men  to 
collect  the  three  hundred  stallions,  and  pick  out 
the  choicest,  the  three.  But  the  men  made  com- 
plaint that  all  the  three  hundred  lay  dead,  by  reason 
of  that  terrible  cry  of  Ivan's  steed,  and  there  was 
none  left  whereon  the  prince  might  ride. 

Then  said  sweet  Ivan  Merchant's  Son  : 

"  Delay  not.  Prince  Vladimir,  but  count  out  to 
me  that  great  wager  of  a  hundred  thousand  roubles." 

This  Vladimir  did  with  sorrow,  and  said  :  "  Yield 
me  thy  steed.  Sweet  Ivan  Merchant's  Son;  for  I 
have  none  whereon  to  ride." 

Quoth  sweet  Ivan  :  "My  steed  was  bought  in 
the  Great  Horde,  from  under  his  mother,  for  five 

153 


EPIC    SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

hundred  roubles,  and  before  he  came  to  me  he  cost 
a  thousand.  Shall  I  give  such  a  steed  to  Prince 
Vladimir?" 

Nevertheless,  he  yielded  him;  and  Vladimir 
commanded  that  the  horse  should  be  led  to  the 
stable,  and  fed  with  fine  wheat,  and  watered  with 
sweet  mead. 

But  the  stable-men  came  running  in  dire  haste, 
making  great  complaint,  that  the  steed  would 
neither  eat  nor  drink,  but  hissed  and  shrieked  like 
a  dragon,  and  struck  dead  all  the  horses. 

Then  was  Prince  Vladimir  very  wroth :  he 
wrapped  himself  in  his  mantle  of  sable,  and  spoke 
this  word  :  "  Ho  there,  thou  Ivan  Merchant's  Son  ! 
Lead  that  horse  from  my  court  forthwith.  The 
devil  take  thee  and  thy  steed  !  " 

Thus  was  the  great  race  ridden. 


154 


Ilya  of  Murom  and  Falcon  the  Hunter 

ON  the  road  to  Kief  town  of  courteous  Prince 
Vladimir,  stood  a  great  barrier  and  strong — 
a  force  of  seven  mighty  heroes,  bold  warriors 
all,  and  lesser  knights. 

The  first  was  Ilya  of  Murom,  our  Old  Kazak 
of  the  Don;  the  second  Dobrynya  Nikitich,  the 
third  Alyosha  Popovich,  the  fourth  Churilo  Plenko- 
vich,  the  fifth  Mikailo  the  Rover,  the  sixth  and 
seventh  the  Agrikanof  brothers.  They  pitched 
their  pavilions,  and  slept  until  the  white  dawn. 

The  barrier  was  strong  :  no  horseman  galloped 
past  nor  wayfarer  journeyed  by,  no  wild  beast 
crouched,  no  bird  soared  overhead;  and  if,  by 
chance,  a  bird  flew  by,  it  dropped  its  feathers  there. 

There,  late  at  even,  passed  young  Falcon  the 
Hunter.^  He  asked  no  leave  at  the  barrier,  but 
leaped  across,  and  roamed  the  open  plain. 

The  next  morning,  right  early,  at  dawn  of  day, 
our  Kazak  of  the  Don  went  out  to  the  white  court 
to  refresh  himself,  and  espied  the  traces  of  a  horse's 
hoofs,  the  marks  of  a  heroic  ride  and  a  black  steed. 

Then  Ilya  entered  again  the  white  pavilion,  and 
spoke  these  words  :  "  Comrades,  brothers,  ye  heroes 
stout  and  mighty  !  What  sort  of  a  barrier  is  this 
of  yours — what  manner  of  stern  fortress  ?  But 
now  I  beheld  the  traces  of  a  horse's  gallop,  of  a 

^  See  Appendix  :  Ilya  of  Murom. 
155 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

heroic  ride.  Arm  ye  then,  friends,  for  a  foray  into 
the  open  plain  to  seek  the  rash  intruder."  Then 
he  began  to  hold  a  great  council  : 

"  It  will  not  do,  children,  to  send  Vaska  Long- 
skirt,  for  he  will  get  entangled  in  his  skirts  in  the 
encounter;  nor  Grishka  the  Noble,  for  men  of 
noble  descent  are  boastful,  and  he  will  vaunt  him- 
self in  the  combat.  Nor  may  Alyosha  go  against 
the  unbidden  visitor,  for  Alyosha  is  of  popish 
descent,  and  popes'  eyes  are  covetous,  popes'  hands 
pilferous ;  Alyosha  will  sec  the  braggart's  great 
store  of  gold  and  silver,  and  will  covet  them.  Do- 
brynya  Nikitich  must  go  :  if  the  knight  be  Russian, 
then  shall  Dobrynya  swear  brotherhood  with  him, 
but  if  he  be  an  infidel  knight,  he  shall  challenge 
him  to  single  combat." 

Dobrynya  sprang  to  his  nimble  feet,  saddled  and 
mounted  his  good  steed,  and  rode  forth  to  Father 
Sakatar  river,  by  the  blue  sea.  As  he  looked  along 
the  straight  road,  he  beheld  a  knight  riding  before 
him,  with  youthful  valour.  The  horse  under  the 
hero  was  like  a  wild  beast;  at  each  leap  he  com- 
passed a  verst,  and  the  tracks  he  left  were  as  large 
as  a  ram  or  a  full-grown  sheep.  From  that  good 
steed's  mouth  flames  flashed,  from  his  nostrils 
sparks  showered  abroad,  from  his  ears  smoke 
curled  in  rings. 

The  helmet  on  the  hero's  head  glowed  like  fire, 
and  his  horse's  bridle  darted  rays ;  stars  sprinkled 
from  his  stirrups,  on  his  saddle  stood  the  dawn,  the 
morning  dawn.  At  his  left  stirrup  sprang  a  grey- 
hound, and  a  dragon  of  the  hills  was  also  chained 
thereto.  On  his  right  stirrup  perched  a  blue-gray 
eaglet,  who  sang  and  whistled  without  ceasing, 
caressing  and  diverting  the  hero.  From  shoulder 
to  shoulder  hopped  a  falcon  clear,  plucking  his 
long  locks  from  ear  to  ear. 

156 


ILYA  AND   FALCON 

The  knight  sat  his  good  steed  well,  and  diverted 
himself  in  noble  wise,  hurling  his  steel  mace  to  the 
clouds,  and  catching  it  as  it  fell,  in  his  white  hands, 
without  permitting  it  to  touch  the  damp  earth. 
As  he  thus  played,  he  conjured  his  mace  :  "  Lightly 
as  I  now  whirl  this  mace  aloft,  even  so  lightly  will 
I  twirl  Ilya  of  Murom." 

Then  Dobrynya  shouted  :  "  Ho,  thou  Falcon 
the  Hunter  !  Turnest  thou  not  back  before  our 
barrier?  " 

Cried  Falcon,  "  'Tis  not  for  tlicc  to  pursue  me 
in  the  open  plain  !  high  time  is  it  that  thou  wert 
in  the  village  herding  the  swine." 

At  that  heroic  cry,  the  peaceful  bays  were 
troubled,  the  waters  grew  choked  with  sand.  Do- 
brynya's  charger  sank  to  his  knees,  and  Dobrynya 
fell  to  the  damp  earth,  where  he  lay  as  in  a  heavy 
sleep  for  the  space  of  about  three  hours.  When  he 
awoke  from  that  swoon,  he  mounted  his  good  steed, 
and,  returning  to  the  barrier,  told  Ilya  of  Murom  all. 

Said  the  old  man  :  "  There  is  none  to  take  my 
place,  the  place  of  this  turbulent  old  head." 

Then  saddled  he  his  good  charger  Cloudfall, 
both  quickly  and  stoutly,  and  sprang  upon  his  back 
without  touching  the  stirrups.  On  his  saddle-strap 
hung  his  war-club,  and  its  weight  was  ninety  poods. 
On  his  hip  rested  his  sharp  sword,  in  his  hand  he 
held  his  silken  whip.  Thus  armed  he  rode  in  pur- 
suit of  the  knight  to  the  Sorochinsky  mountains, 
and  looking  through  the  circle  of  his  young  fist, 
he  descried  a  black  spot  in  the  plain,  and  rode 
towards  it. 

"  Thief  !  dog  !  braggart !  "  he  shouted  in 
piercing  tones.  "  Why  hast  thou  passed  our 
barrier,  doing  no  reverence  to  me,  asking  no  leave  ?" 
When  the  braggart  hunter  heard  that,  he  turned 
and  rode  at  Ilya;    and  Ilya's    heart  died  within 

157 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

him. — 'Twas  not  two  threatening  clouds  which 
clashed,  nor  yet  two  mountains  moved  together, 
but  two  stout  heroes  who  rode  against  each  other. 

First  they  fought  with  their  maces,  until  these 
snapped  short  at  the  hilt, — and  wounded  one 
another  not.  Then  they  fought  with  their  sharp 
swords,  until  these  brake, — and  Avounded  one 
another  not;  and  so  likewise  with  their  sharp 
spears  :  and  when  these  were  shattered  they  lighted 
down  from  their  good  steeds,  and  fought  hand  to 
hand.  All  day  they  fought  till  even,  till  midnight, 
till  the  white  dawn  : — and  so  they  did  the  second 
day,  and  likewise  the  third,  and  sank  to  their  knees 
in  the  earth. 

Then  Ilya  waved  his  right  hand,  and  his  left  foot 
slipped  from  under  him. — 'Twas  not  a  gray  duck 
fluttering,  but  Ilya  falling  to  the  damp  earth  like  a 
stack  of  hay. 

Falcon  the  Hunter  planted  himself  upon  Ilya's 
white  breast,  snatched  out  his  dagger  of  dam- 
ascened steel,  and  would  have  pierced  that  white 
breast,  closed  Ilya's  clear  eyes,  and  struck  off  his 
turbulent  head,  and  plucked  out  his  heart  with  his 
liver ;  but  his  arm  was  stiffened  from  the  shoulder 
down,  and  he  could  not  move  it. 

"  O  Lord  !  "  said  Ilya :  "It  is  written  on  my 
right  hand  that  I  shall  not  die  in  battle."  And  to 
Falcon  he  said  :  "  O  brave,  good  youth  !  tell  me, 
from  what  land  art  thou,  from  what  horde  ?  Who 
are  thy  father  and  mother?  " 

Then  the  hunter  began  to  curse  :  "  Full  time  is 
it,  thou  old  dog,  that  thou  shouldst  shave  ^  thy 
head,  and  go  to  a  monastery  !  " 

^  Monks  are  not  tonsured  in  the  Greco-Russian  Church. 
Small  tufts  are  clipped  from  the  ends  of  the  hair,  cross-form,  over 
brow,  nape  and  temples ;  and  the  hair  is  worn  long,  like  the  hair 
of  all  priests. 

158 


ILYA  AND   FALCON 

Ilya's  heroic  heart  grew  hot  at  that,  and  his 
young  blood  boiled.  He  smote  Falcon  upon  his 
black  breast,  and  hurled  him  higher  than  the  stand- 
ing wood,  yet  lower  than  the  flying  clouds.  When 
Falcon  descended  again  to  the  damp  earth,  Ilya 
leaped  to  his  nimble  feet,  and  sat  upon  the  hunter's 
breast. 

"  Tell  me  now,  good  youth,  thy  land,  thy  horde, 
thy  father's  name." 

"  Sat  I  on  thy  white  breast,"  the  hunter  an- 
swered, "  so  would  I  not  inquire  of  thee  thy  name 
and  country.  But  I  would  pierce  thy  white  breast, 
and  scan  thy  restive  heart,  and  scatter  thy  white 
body  over  the  plain,  to  be  torn  of  the  gray  wolf, 
and  picked  by  the  black  crows." 

Then  Ilya  inquired  no  further  of  him,  but  drew 
forth  his  dagger.  The  youth  perceived  that  mis- 
fortune was  close  at  hand,  and  answered  : 

"  I  come  from  the  blue  sea,  from  the  palaces  of 
gray  stone,  from  mighty  Zlatigorka ;  and  my  father 
I  do  not  know.  When  I  rode  forth  upon  the  open 
plain,  my  mother  enjoined  me  to  greet  the  Old 
Kazak  Ilya  of  Murom,  if  I  should  chance  to 
meet  him,  but  without  approaching;  to  dismount 
from  my  good  horse  and  do  reverence  to  him, 
touching  my  forehead  to  the  ground." 

Then  the  old  man  felt  compassion ;  for  he  knew 
now  that  this  was  his  own  Falcon,  by  that  fierce 
Zlatigorka  whom  he  had  overcome  in  single  com- 
bat, and  to  whom  he  had  given  his  golden  ring 
with  an  inscription,  and  set  with  a  rich  jewel.  He 
took  Falcon  by  his  white  hands,  kissed  his  sugar 
lips,  and  called  him  his  son,  weeping  greatly  as  he 
looked  upon  him.  Then  he  blessed  him  with  a 
great  blessing. 

"  Ride,  my  child,  my  dear  son,  whither  thou  wilt, 
over  the  open  plain,  but  shed  no  blood  without 

159 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

cause,  waste  no  strength  in  vain.  And  go  now  to 
the  blue  sea,  to  thy  mother,  and  greet  her  lowly 
from  me,  from  the  Old  Kazak  Ilya  of  Murom. 
For  shouldst  thou  fall  into  the  hands  of  our  Russian 
heroes,  thou  shouldst  hardly  escape  thence  alive." 

The  secret  of  his  birth  overwhelmed  the  good 
youth  as  a  great  misfortune,  and  he  rode  straight- 
way to  the  blue  sea,  to  the  palaces  of  gray  stone, 
to  his  mother. 

When  he  came  to  the  fair  porch,  he  shouted 
with  a  great  voice  :  "  Ho  there,  thou  bold  and 
evil  warrior-maid  !  Come  forth  to  meet  the  good 
youth  !  " 

So  Zlatigorka  came  forth  to  meet  him,  bowing 
low,  and  saluting  him.  But  Falcon  met  her  with 
his  sharp  sword,  and  greeted  her  so  that  she  fell 
there  upon  the  fair  porch.  For  he  liked  it  not  that 
he  should  be  the  son  of  a  peasant,  and  of  dishonour. 

"  I  go  now,"  quoth  he,  "  to  give  that  old  dog 
over  likewise  to  speedy  death,  for  so  dishonoured 
I  will  not  live." 

Therewith  he  wheeled  his  good  charger  about, 
and  rode  to  the  pavilion  of  white  linen.  There  he 
fitted  a  burning  shaft  to  his  stout  bow,  and  sent  it 
at  Ilya's  breast  as  he  lay  buried  in  sleep.  But  it 
glanced  aside  from  the  wondrous  golden  cross, 
three  poods  in  weight,  which  Ilya  wore,  and  roused 
him  from  his  slumber.  He  leaped  forth  from  the 
tent  all  unclothed  as  he  was,  seized  Falcon  by  his 
yellow  curls,  flung  him  upon  the  damp  earth,  cut 
out  his  little  heart,  and  scattered  his  four  quarters 
over  the  plain. 

So  Falcon's  praise  is  sung,  and  Ilya's  glory  is  not 
diminished ;  and  for  ever  shall  Ilya  be  celebrated 
in  sonsf. 


160 


Sweet  Mikailo  Ivanovich  the  Rover 

FAIR  Sun  Vladimir  made  a  great  and  notable 
feast  to  his  nobles  and  heroes.  And  when 
all  had  eaten  and  drunk  their  fill,  Prince 
Vladimir  paced  the  banquet  hall,  waved  his  right 
hand,  and  distributed  service  to  his  knights,  to 
Ilya  of  Murom,  Dobrynya  Nikitich,  and  sweet 
Mikailo  Ivanovich. ^  He  poured  out  a  cup  of 
green  wine,  and  gave  to  each  sweet  mead,  saying  : 

"  Taste  now  a  cup  of  green  wine,  and  serve  me, 
your  Prince,  with  perfect  loyalty.  Do  thou.  Old 
Kazak,  Ilya  of  Murom,  the  chiefest  of  our  Russian 
heroes,  render  a  great  service.  Go  thou  to  the 
Golden  Horde,  slay  all  infidels,  both  great  and 
small,  sparing  none.  Thou,  young  Dobrynya. 
must  go  to  the  glorious  blue  sea,  and  conquer  it, 
and  add  territory  to  Holy  Russia.  Sweet  Mikailo 
the  Rover  shall  be  intrusted  with  a  great  mission — 
he  shall  go  to  the  black  halls  in  Podolia  the  crafty, 
and  collect  the  gifts  and  tribute  for  the  years  that 
are  past,  and  for  this  year — for  twelve  years  and 
for  half  a  year." 

So  these  three  heroes  rode  forth  to  the  Levanidof 
oak,  and  swore  brotherhood.  Ilya  was  the  eldest 
brother,  Mikailo  the  next,  and  young  Dobrynya  the 
youngest.  Then  they  made  a  covenant,  that  he 
who  should  first  return  should  await  the  other  two 
^  See  Appendix. 
M  161 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

at  that  oak.    With  that  they  parted,  riding  different 
ways. 

When  Mikailo  was  come  to  the  famous  black 
horde,  he  demanded  the  gifts  and  tribute  due, — 
twelve  swans,  twelve  white  falcons,  and  a  writing 
of  submission. 

But  the  men  of  Podolia  assembled,  and  would 
not  surrender  the  gifts  and  tribute.  Then  Mikailo 
the  Rover  waxed  very  wroth,  threw  back  his  heroic 
shoulders,  and  began  to  kill  and  to  destroy,  so  that 
the  men  of  Podolia  yielded  and  fetched  the  tribute. 

So  Mikailo  departed  thence,  and  wandered  by 
the  blue  sea,  past  warm  and  peaceful  bays,  shoot- 
ing swans  and  geese.  As  he  turned  to  leave  the 
precipitous  shore,  he  gazed  out  upon  the  quiet  bay, 
and  beheld  a  white  swan  floating  there.  Through 
her  feathers  she  was  all  gold,  and  her  head  was 
covered  with  red  gold,  studded  with  fair  round 
pearls. 

Then  Mikailo  drew  from  his  bow-case  his  stout 
bow,  from  his  quiver  a  burning  arrow,  grasped  his 
bow  in  his  left  hand,  the  arrow  in  his  right,  and 
laid  the  arrow  to  the  silken  cord.  As  he  drew  the 
stout  bow  to  his  ear,  with  the  burning  arrow  of 
seven  ells,  the  cord  twanged,  the  horns  of  the  great 
bow  creaked,  and  he  would  have  let  fly.  But  the 
white  swan  besought  him  : 

"  Ai,  Mikailo  Ivanovich  the  Rover,  shoot  not  the 
white  swan,  else  shalt  thou  have  no  luck  for  ever- 
more !  " 

Then  the  swan  rose  over  the  blue  sea  upon  her 
white  wings,  flew  to  the  shore,  and  turned  into  a 
beauteous  maiden.  Mikailo  went  to  her,  took  her 
by  her  little  white  hands,  by  her  golden  ring,  and 
would  fain  have  kissed  her  upon  her  sugar  mouth. 

But  the  fair  maid  said  :  "  Kiss  me  not,  Mikailo 
Rover,  for  I  am  of  infidel  race,  Marya,  Princess  of 

162 


SWEET  MIKAILO   IVANOVICH 

Podolia,  and  unbaptized.  If  thou  wilt  take  me  to 
glorious  Holy  Russia,  to  famous  Kief  town  the 
royal,  I  will  go  to  mother  church  of  God,  and 
receive  the  Christian  faith.  Then  will  we  take 
the  golden  crowns,  and  then  also  shalt  thou  kiss 
me  it  thou  wilt."     So  they  set  out. 

Ilya  of  Murom  was  come  first  to  the  Levanidof 
oak,  and  had  brought  with  him  gold  in  bulk  like 
to  a  rick  of  hay.  Next  came  young  Dobrynya,  and 
his  gold  was  hkewise  like  unto  a  hav-rick.  The 
last  to  come  was  sweet  Mikailo  the  "'Rover,  and 
not  one  copper  coin  brought  he,  but  only  sweet 
Marya,  the  White  Swan  of  Podolia.  Then  spoke 
his  brothers  in  arms  : 

TiT-i"  "?^^*  *^^°^  ^^^^  ^^^  astray  by  woman's  wiles 
Mikailo  Rover,  that  thou  bringest  hither  no  treas- 

l^-^io  ,,^  ^^^^*  ^^^^  ^^^*  thou  present  thyself  in 
Kiet  (  But  Mikailo  answered  them  that  he  would 
go  straightway  to  Kief  with  his  White  Swan,  and 
without  red  gold. 

When  they  were  come  to  Kief  town,  Ilya  and 
!:^T*Sm^^,^"^S'  down  their  vast  heaps  of  treasure, 
but  Mikailo  led  sweet  Marya  by  the  hand. 

"  How  may  I  reward  thee  for  this  thy  service  *?  " 
quoth  Vladimir  of  royal  Kief.  "  Shall  I  give  thee 
villages  with  their  hamlets,  cities  with  their  suburbs 
or  countless  golden  treasure  ?  " 
^  "None  of  these  do  I  require,"  said  Mikailo; 
tor  whatsoever  thou  mightest  bestow  upon  me, 
that  should  I  squander  in  drink.  Better  will  it  be 
to  give  me  an  ukase  with  thy  royal  red  seal,  that  I 
may  go  to  all  the  pot-houses  and  drinking-houses, 
and  drink  green  wine  without  payment,— that 
money  be  never  required  of  me."  Then  Prince 
Vladimir  gave  Mikailo  that  ukase  with  his  fair  seal 
gladly,  and  said  : 

"  i  sent  them  forth  to  find  brides,  but  these  two 
163 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

youths  understood  me  not, — they  coveted  gold  and 
silver.  In  our  Holy  Russian  land,  a  race  of  young 
heroes  is  more  precious  than  either  silver  or 
gold." 

Then  spoke  sweet  Mikailo  the  Rover  to  Mari- 
ushka  the  White  Swan  :     "  Let  us  wed." 

"  Nay,  not  so,  Mikailo  Rover,"  she  replied,  "  but 
under  one  condition.  Let  us  take  a  great  and 
solemn  oath  that  when  either  one  of  us  shall  die, 
the  other  shall  go,  living,  into  the  grave  with  the 
dead,  and  there  abide  for  the  space  of  three 
months." 

This  oath  they  took,  and  were  married  in  God's 
church.  Then  they  began  to  live,  and  take  their 
pleasure ;  and  sweet  Mikailo  went  about  from  pot- 
house to  pot-house,  drinking  green  wine, — here  a 
cup,  there  half  a  bucket,  and  again  a  bucket  and 
a  half. 

— Again  spoke  Prince  Vladimir  to  Mikailo  the 
Rover  :  "  Lo  !  Bukar,  king  of  the  land  beyond 
the  sea,  hath  sent  to  demand  tribute  and  gifts  for 
twelve  years,  and  if  I  give  them  not,  he  will  come 
and  destroy  our  royal  Kief." 

Quoth  Mikailo  :  "  Write  thou  a  scroll  to  that 
king  beyond  the  sea  :  write  that  thou  hast  de- 
spatched the  gifts  and  tribute  by  Mikailo  Ivanovich 
the  Rover.     But  I  will  go  without  tribute." 

So  he  went  to  Tzar  Bukar  in  the  kingdom 
beyond  the  sea,  and  saluted  him.  And  Bukar 
inquired  : 

"  Whence  comest  thou,  good  youth,  from  what 
land  or  horde?  " 

"  From  Kief  town  I  come,  young  Mikailo  Ivano- 
vich the  Rover.  I  bring  thee  gifts  and  tribute  for 
twelve  years  from  that  Fair  Sun,  Prince  Vladimir." 

"  Where  are  these  gifts  and  tribute?  " 

"  All  were  sent  in  copper  coin,  and  the  carts 
164 


SWEET   MIKAILO   IVANOVICH 

broke  down  upon  the  road ;  the  men  are  even  now 
mending  them." 

"How  divert  ye  yourselves  with  such  iov  in 
Russia?"    asked  Tzar  Bukar. 

"  We  play  with  ashen  checkers  upon  boards  of 
oak." 

"  Let  us  play  at  ashen  checkers,"  quoth  Bukar. 
So  they  began  to  play.  Tzar  Bukar  staked  the 
gifts  and  tribute,  and  Mikailo  Rover  staked  his 
good  steed  and  his  turbulent  head— and  lost. 
Then  they  played  another  bout,  and  again  Tzar 
Bukar  staked  the  tribute,  adding  the  good  steed 
and  the  turbulent  head.  Mikailo  staked  Marya 
the  White  Swan  and  his  own  mother — and  won. 
Then  Bukar  waxed  wroth,  and  staked  the  half  of 
his  kingdom,  and  Mikailo  staked  the  tribute.  As 
Mikailo  won  this  game,  the  oaken  doors  were 
opened  wide,  and  Ilya  of  Murom  the  Old  Kazak 
strode  in  and  spoke  : 

"  My  brother  in  arms,  thou  knowest  not  the  evil 
fortune  that  hath  befallen  thee.  Thou  sittest  here 
gaming  and  taking  thy  pleasure,  while  Marya  the 
White  Swan,  thy  young  wife,  lieth  dead  in  Kief 
town." 

When  sweet  Mikailo  heard  that,  he  sprano-  up 
and  hurled  the  chess-board  full  at  the  oaken  door' 
so  that  the  door  and  its  framework  flew  outward! 
"  Take  thou  half  the  goods  and  kingdom  of  Tzar 
Bukar  in  this  land  beyond  the  sea,  my  brother  in 
arms,''  said  he,  "  and  rule  thou  whilst  I  go  home  to 
Kief."  Then  quickly,  quickly,  very,  very  quickly, 
with  speed,  he  rode  to  Kief  town,  to  his  palace  of 
white  stone.  There  he  hired  craftsmen,  and  they 
made  him  a  spacious  coffin  of  oak,  wherein  two 
might  stand,  or  sit,  or  lie. 

When  this  was  done,  he  made  provision  of  food 
and  green  wine  for  three  months.     And  he  fashioned 

165 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

for  himself  three  pair  of  pincers  and  three  rods  of 
iron,  and  took  his  seat  in  the  coffin  with  the  dead 
body. 

"  Why  take  ye  the  rods  and  pincers?  "  asked 
Vladimir. 

"  That  the  dragons  of  the  under-world  may  not 
crawl  into  the  coffin  and  gnaw  my  white  body." 

They  drew  the  White  Swan's  body  to  the  grave 
on  a  sledge,  with  sweet  Mikailo  alive  beside  it. 

Then  they  lowered  the  coffin  into  the  deep 
mound,  and  also  his  good  steed  with  his  rich  trap- 
pings, and  covered  them  with  ruddy  yellow  sand. 
Three  months  did  Mikailo  the  Rover  sit  therein. 

After  that,  a  Dragon  of  the  under-world  crawled 
to  the  white  oak  coffin  with  her  brood,  pressed 
upon  it,  and  the  hoops  began  to  burst  asunder. 
Mikailo  sprang  to  his  nimble  feet.  A  second  and 
yet  a  third  time  did  the  Dragon  press,  and  there- 
upon the  coffin  yawned  widely. 

When  that  beast  espied  sweet  Mikailo,  she 
rejoiced  that  she  should  have  a  living  man  to 
satisfy  her  hunger,  as  well  as  the  dead  body. 

But  Mikailo  seized  the  Dragon  with  his  iron 
pincers,  and  began  to  smite  her  with  the  iron  rods, 
and  to  cry  :  "  Ai,  thou  Dragon  of  the  under-world  ! 
Fetch  me  the  Avaters  of  life  and  death  ^  to  revive 
my  young  wife," 

"  Loose  me,  sweet  Mikailo  Rover,"  the  Dragon 
made  answer,  "  and  I  will  fly  to  the  blue  sea,  and 
fetch  thee  those  waters,  to  revive  thy  Russian 
beauty,  in  three  years." 

But  he  ceased  not  to  belabour  her  stoutly,  and 
without  mercy ;  and  she  promised  to  fetch  the 
waters  in  two  years.  Yet  ceased  he  not  until  she 
had  sworn  to  fetch  them  within  three  hours. 

^  These  waters  figure  in  several  of  the  popular  tales  translated 
in  Ralston's  Russian  Folk-lore. 

166 


SWEET  MIIvAILO   IVANOVICH 

Then  said  he  :  "  Give  me  as  hostage,  one  of  thy 
Httle  Dragons."  And  when  she  gave  it,  he  set  hi^s 
heel  upon  the  Httle  serpent,  and  crushed  it  to  dust. 

"Why  hast  thou  destroyed  my  child?"  the 
Dragon  asked. 

"Fetch  me  the  waters,"  answered  Mikailo,  "  and 
I  will  revive  thy  child  together  with  my  young 
wife." 

Then  she  made  haste  and  fetched  the  waters, 
and  sweet  Mikailo  essayed  them  first  upon  the 
little  dragon; — the  first  time  he  sprinkled  it,  the 
dragon  flew  together,  at  the  second  sprinkling  it 
moved,  at  the  third,  it  crawled  forth  from  the 
coffin. 

Then  he  sprinkled  his  Russian  beauty,  Marya 
the  White  Swan.  First  her  blood  played,  then 
she  moved,  and  at  last  sat  upright  in  the  coffin, 
and  spoke  :  "  Long  have  I  slept,  and  suddenlv 
arisen." 

— It  was  on  Sunday,  when  the  nobles,  princes, 
and  mighty  heroes  were  coming  from  the  mass. 
Mikailo  shouted  with  full  strength  of  his  head,  so 
that  damp  mother  earth  quaked,  the  waters  were 
troubled  with  sand,  Prince  Vladimir's  lofty  palace 
rocked  to  and  fro  with  the  shout,  and  the  nobles 
and  heroes  spoke  among  themselves  :  "Is  not  this 
a  marvel,  brothers,  on  land  and  sea?  " 

But  Ilya  of  Murom  made  answer  :  "No  marvel 
is  it,  nor  monster  issuing  from  the  waters,  or  from 
some  distant  land.  But  the  hero  within  the  bosom 
of  the  earth  is  wearied  of  the  dead  body.  Take, 
therefore,  implements  of  iron,  remove  the  yellow 
sands,  and  reach  the  coffin  of  white  oak." 

So  they  delved,  and  sweet  Mikailo  the  Rover 
came  forth  leading  his  young  wife  by  the  sleeve. 

Great  fame  of  this  heroic  young  woman  went 
abroad  throughout  all  lands  and  hordes.     Never 

167 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

had  such  a  beauty  dwelt  under  the  fair  red  sun. 
At  the  fame  of  her  beauty  came  forty  Tzars,  Kings 
and  Princes  to  the  Sorochinsky  mountains,  and 
wrote  a  cartel  in  haste  :  "  If  the  Fair  Sun  Prince 
Vladimir  yield  not  that  young  heroic  woman  with- 
out conflict  or  great  battle,  and  in  good  will,  then 
will  we  destroy  all  Kief  town." 

Thereupon  came  Prince  Vladimir  to  Mikailo  : 
"  Sweet  Mikailo  Rover,"  he  said,  "  destroy  not  my 
whole  kingdom,  I  pray  thee,  for  the  sake  of  one 
woman.  Deliver  up  thy  young  heroic  wife,  with- 
out conflict  or  great  battle." 

"  Nay,  Fair  Sun  Prince  Vladimir,"  sweet  Mikailo 
made  answer.  "  Deliver  up  thine  own  fair  Princess 
Apraxia.  But  my  wife  I  will  not  give  with  my 
own  good  will." 

Then  he  disguised  himself  in  woman's  apparel, 
laid  on  his  good  steed  his  great  battle-sword,  his 
sharp  blade,  and  rode  forth  to  the  Sorochinsky 
mountains.  When  he  was  come  near  to  those 
Tzars  and  Kings,  he  pitched  a  tent  of  fair  linen, 
shook  down  fine  white  Turkish  wheat  before  his 
good  steed,  and  lay  down  to  sleep. 

The  Tzars  and  Princes  sent  an  ambassador  to 
inquire  who  had  adventured  so  near  them,  and 
Mikailo  made  answer : 

"  Marya  the  White  Swan  hath  come  to  wed  with 
the  forty  Tzars,  Kings  and  Princes." 

Then  all  those  royal  suitors  donned  their  richest 
raiment,  mounted  their  best  steeds,  and  rode  to  the 
pavilion  of  linen. 

"  Foolish  are  ye,  ye  forty  Tzars,  Kings  and 
Princes,"  quoth  sweet  Mikailo.  "  I  cannot  marry 
all.  Grant  me  therefore  to  shoot  arrows,  and  he 
who  first  returneth  with  one  shall  have  me." 

To  this  they  all  agreed,  and  Mikailo  shot  forty 
arrows, — some    into    the    brushwood,    some    into 

168 


SWEET   MIKAILO   IVANOVICH 

the  water : — and  was  it  a  light  task  to  find 
them  ? 

When  the  first  Tzar  fetched  an  arrow,  Mikailo 
struck  off  his  head,  and  hid  it  in  the  paviHon,  and 
so  he  did  hkewise  with  the  second  and  the  third, 
until  all  were  slain,  and  not  one  of  the  forty  royal 
suitors  was  left  alive. 

Then  sweet  Mikailo  rode  back  to  Kief  town,  and 
his  brothers  in  arms  met  him  there,  but  not  his 
young  heroic  wife.  Mikailo  inquired  of  them 
where  she  was,  and  they  replied  :  "  Tzar  Vakramey 
Vakrameevich  came  hither,  and  carried  off  thy 
young  wife  to  the  Volhynian  land." 

Forthwith  rode  sweet  Mikailo  in  pursuit,  eating 
not,  drinking  not,  dismounting  not  from  his  good 
steed.  When  he  came  to  Volhynia  town,  Marya 
espied  him,  and  came  forth  to  greet  him  with  a 
kovsh  ^  of  the  liquor  of  forgetfulness. 

"  Ai,  sweet  Mikailo  Rover,"  said  she  :  "I  can 
neither  eat  nor  drink  nor  live  without  thee.  But 
woman's  hair  is  long,  her  wits  are  short.  Whither 
they  lead  us,  there  we  must  needs  go,  and  Prince 
Vladimir  gave  me  against  my  will.  But  now  drain 
a  bowl  of  the  liquor  of  health,  and  thou  shalt  be 
yet  stronger  than  of  yore.  Rover."  So  Mikailo 
drained  that  bowl  of  the  wine  of  oblivion,  and  fell 
unconscious  there. 

Then  the  White  Swan  went  to  Vakramey 
Vakrameevich,  and  spoke  this  word  :  "  Ai',  Tzar 
Vakramey,  do  what  thou  wilt  with  this  man  who 
is  as  dead." 

But  he  spat  in  her  eye  :  "  One  tree  doth  not 
make  a  dark  forest,  nor  is  one  man  a  host  on  the 
open  plain  !  " 

^  A  kind  of  shallow,  boat-shaped  bowl  with  a  handle — a  sort 
of  ladle  for  kvas  or  beer.  It  is  still  used  to  ladle  out  kvas  among 
the  peasantry,  in  monasteries,  and  so  forth. 

169 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

Nevertheless  she  was  distrustful,  and  took 
Mikailo  by  his  yellow  curls,  dragged  him  forth 
upon  the  open  plain,  swung  him  about  her  head, 
and  flung  him  over  her  shoulder. 

"  Where  stood  sweet  Rover  Mikailo,  there  hence- 
forth let  a  white  stone  stand,"  she  said.  "  Let  it 
fly  over  the  earth  for  the  space  of  three  years,  and 
after  that  let  it  sink  through  the  damp  earth  !  " 
And  sweet  Mikailo  was  turned  into  a  stone  straight- 
way. 

His  brothers  in  arms,  remembering  sweet  Mi- 
kailo, grew  weary  with  longing  for  him,  and  said  : 
"  Let  us  go,  brothers,  to  the  Volhynian  land,  to 
inquire  whether  our  brother  be  slain  or  captive 
there."  So  they  put  on  the  weeds  of  wandering 
psalm-singers,  threw  pouches  over  their  shoulders, 
took  staves  of  forty  poods,  and  set  out. 

As  they  journeyed  to  the  Volhynian  land,  an 
aged  man  came  to  meet  them  in  the  way,  and  said  : 

"  Take  me  with  you  as  your  comrade."  And 
they  did  so,  and  came  to  the  land  of  Volhynia,  to 
Tzar  Vakramey. 

There  they  beat  upon  the  earth  with  their  staves, 
and  begged  alms.  The  White  Swan  looked  forth 
from  the  little  lattice  window,  and  perceived  that 
the  psalm-singers  were  come  from  Kief  town, 
and  that  the  third  was  a  strange  man,  and  said  : 
"  Ai,  Tzar  Vakramey  !  summon  these  pilgrims 
into  thy  palace,  feed  them  well,  and  give  them 
wine  until  they  are  well  drunken,  and  gold  at 
thy  desire." 

So  Tzar  Vakramey  called  them  in;  and  the 
Russian  heroes  inquired  of  Marya  the  White  Swan, 
where  their  brother  in  arms  might  be,  sweet  Rover 
Mikailo. 

"  I  grieve  sore  for  sweet  Mikailo  the  Rover,"  she 
made  answer ;    "  but  I  know  not  where  he  is." 

170 


SWEET  MIKAILO   IVANOVICH 

Then  she  gave  them  great  ahiis,  and  much  food 
and  drink,  so  that  they  were  intoxicated,  and  lay 
upon  the  floor.  But  the  aged  man  ate  not,  drank 
not ;  and  when  Marya  the  White  Swan  sent  twelve 
knights  to  kill  the  psalm-singers,  that  aged  pilgrim 
brandished  his  staff,  and  slew  them  all,  leaving  not 
one  alive. 

When  Tzar  Vakramey  saw  that  his  whole  king- 
dom could  not  stand  against  that  one  pilgrim,  he 
pondered  what  might  chance  when  the  other  two 
should  wake.  So  he  went  in  haste  to  his  deep 
vaults,  took  gold,  silver,  and  fair  round  pearls,  and 
gave  to  those  psalm-singers ;  and  the  next  morning 
they  set  out  for  Kief  town. 

As  they  journeyed,  they  came  to  a  stone;  and 
the  aged  pilgrim  said  :  "  I  must  leave  you,  brothers. 
Let  us  divide  our  possessions  on  this  stone."  Then 
he  began  to  part  the  alms  into  four  lots,  whereat 
Ilya  could  not  restrain  his  restive  heart,  but  spoke  : 
"  For  whom  is  that  fourth  lot,  thou  stranger 
pilgrim?  " 

Said  the  wandering  psalm-singer,  the  stranger  : 
"  It  shall  belong  to  him  who  shall  raise  this  stone, 
and  cast  it  over  his  shoulder,  so  that,  falling  upon 
the  damp  earth,  it  shall  burst  asunder." 

Ilya  of  Murom  sprang  forward,  grasped  the 
stone,  and  raised  it  to  his  knees, — and  sank  to 
his  knees  in  the  damp  earth.  "  Is  this  the  devil 
or  God's  might,  that  is  in  this  stone?"  quoth 
he. 

Then  Dobrynya  essayed  to  lift  it,  and  could  not 
so  much  as  make  a  space  for  the  air  to  pass  be- 
neath it.  But  the  aged  psalm-singer  put  his  little 
hand  beneath  the  stone,  raised  it  to  his  shoulder, 
and  as  he  flung  it,  he  conjured  it  :  "  Break,  stone  ! 
and  let  sweet  Mikailo  the  Rover  appear  in  thy 
stead  !  " 

171 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

Out  sprang  Mikailo,  crying,  "  Fy,  fee,  brothers  ! 
how  long  I  have  slept  !  " 

Then  spoke  the  aged  pilgrim  :  "  Mikailo,  when 
thou  art  come  to  Kief  town,  burn  a  candle  to 
Saint  Mikola.  And  fare  ye  well  now,  ye  mighty 
Russian  heroes  !  pray  to  Mikola  of  Mozhaisk,  and 
he  will  raise  you  from  the  blue  sea  !  "  Therewith 
he  vanished,  leaving  the  money  with  them,  and 
they  saw  not  whither  he  went. 

Rover  Mikailo  took  leave  straightway  of  his 
brothers  in  arms,  and  returned  to  the  land  of  Vol- 
hynia,  and  entered  the  spacious  court  of  Tzar 
Vakramey's  palace,  and  shouted  in  a  heroic  voice. 

White  Swan  Marya  heard  that  cry,  and  spoke 
to  Tzar  Vakramey  :  "  My  former  husband  is 
come,"  then  ran  out  to  Mikailo  with  a  bowl  of 
wine. 

"  Ai,  sweet  Mikailo  Rover  !  "  she  said,  "  without 
my  hero  I  cannot  live.  It  was  not  I,  but  Tzar 
Vakramey,  who  imprisoned  thee  within  that  white 
and  burning  stone.  But  take  now  this  bowl  of 
wine  in  one  hand,  and  empty  it  at  a  draught,  and 
we  will  go  to  Kief  town  to  courteous  Prince 
Vladimir." 

Now  Mikailo  was  susceptible  to  wine  and 
woman's  charms.  He  took  the  bowl,  and  quaffed 
the  liquor,  and  where  he  drank,  there  he  fell  down 
in  a  stupor. 

Then  Marya  the  White  Swan  seized  him  by  his 
yellow  curls,  and  dragged  him  to  a  deep  dungeon, 
and  there  made  him  fast  to  the  wall  with  nails 
through  his  hands  and  feet.  Yet  a  fifth  nail  for 
his  heroic  heart  was  lacking,  and  Marya  ran  to  the 
bazaar  to  buy  one. 

W^hile  she  was  gone,  Anna  the  Fair,  sister  to 
Tzar  Vakramey,  took  a  little  serving-maid,  and 
went  to  view  the  Russian  hero ;    and  as  she  looked 

172 


SWEET   MIKAILO   IVANOVICH 

she  loved.     Mikailo's  stupor  was  already  passed, 
and  he  began  to  entreat  her  to  set  him  free. 

"  Take  me  for  thy  wife,"  she  made  answer, 
"  and  I  will  save  thee  from  vain  death." 

And  he  swore  to  her,  "  If  thou  wilt  but  save  me, 
I  will  sever  the  turbulent  head  of  Marya  the  White 
Swan,  and  take  the  golden  crown  with  thee." 

Then  she  drew  out  the  spikes  with  her  finger- 
nails, took  in  haste  a  Tatar  chosen  for  his  stature, 
hair  and  beauty,  and  fastened  him  to  the  wall  in 
Mikailo's  stead,  took  sweet  Mikailo  under  her  cloak 
of  black  sables,  and  led  him  across  the  spacious 
court.     Tzar  Vakramcy  espied  her,  and  inquired : 

"What  hast  thou  there  beneath  thy  cloak?  " 

"  I  took  a  little  maid  with  me,"  she  answered, 
"  to  view  the  Russian  hero,  and  she  is  frightened. 
I  have  her  beneath  my  cloak,  and  am  leading  her 
to  mine  own  chamber,  to  comfort  her." 

Marya  the  Swan  returned  with  her  nail,  and 
perceived  not  that  it  was  a  Tatar  in  the  dungeon, 
and  not  her  husband. 

When  fair  Anna  had  brought  sweet  Mikailo  to 
her  lofty  tower,  she  dressed  his  bleeding  wounds 
with  herbs  for  three  months,  and  healed  them, 
then  asked  :     "  Hast  thou  thy  strength  as  of  yore  ?  " 

And  sweet  Mikailo  made  answer  :  "  If  I  had 
but  my  suit  of  chain  mail,  my  great  battle-sword, 
and  my  good  steed,  I  should  not  fear  your  Tzar 
Vakramey." 

"  There  was  once  a  hero  among  us  in  past 
years,"  quoth  Anna  the  Fair,  "  and  to  this  day 
none  in  our  kingdom  can  wear  his  armour,  nor 
wield  his  brand,  nor  guide  his  good  steed." 

Then  Mikailo  told  her  what  she  must  do;  and 
she  lay  as  though  ailing,  and  sent  word  to  Tzar 
Vakramey  that  some  one  should  be  sent  to  heal 
her.     When  the  leech  came  she  said  : 

173 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

"  I  slept,  and  dreamed  that  if  I  might  but  don  a 
coat  of  mail,  and  ride  a  heroic  steed  over  the  open 
plain,  it  would  be  well  with  me  once  more." 

So  the  good  steed  of  that  hero  of  past  years  was 
led  forth;  and  Rover  Mikailo  arrayed  himself  in 
woman's  garb,  laid  the  coat  of  mail  upon  the  horse, 
grasped  the  bridle,  and  led  him  forth  behind  the 
city  wall.  There  he  put  on  the  coat  of  mail,  armed 
himself,  and  mounting,  leaped  the  wall,  and  came 
to  Tzar  Vakramey's  palace. 

When  White  Swan  Marya  saw  him,  she  said  to 
Tzar  Vakramey  :  "  Lo  !  my  former  husband  is 
alive  again  :  pour  him  a  cup  of  green  wine,  and 
mingle  the  herb  of  sleep  therein." 

This  Vakramey  did ;  and  when  Marya  presented 
it  to  Rover  Mikailo,  beseeching  him  to  drink  it, 
and  return  with  her  to  Kief,  he  would  have  done 
her  bidding.  But  Anna  the  Fair  thrust  herself 
out  of  the  lattice  window  to  the  girdle,  and  shrieked 
in  a  piercing  voice  :  "  Drink  not,  sweet  Rover 
Mikailo  !  Remember  thine  oath.  If  thou  drink 
that  wine,  thou  hast  lost  thyself  for  ever." 

Thereupon  he  dashed  aside  the  cup,  drew  his 
sword  of  damascened  steel,  and  cut  off  the  head  of 
Marya  the  White  Swan. 

Vakramey  also  he  would  have  slain,  but  that  his 
sister  begged  for  his  life.  So  he  left  Vakramey  in 
possession  of  his  kingdom,  took  the  Princess  Anna 
the  Most  Fair,  and  went  to  Kief  town,  to  courteous 
Prince  Vladimir.  There  they  were  married,  and 
lived  in  happiness.  And  sweet  Mikailo  Ivanovich 
the  Rover  built  a  church  to  Saint  Mikola  of 
Mozhaisk. 


174 


Nightingale  Budimirovich  the  Sailor 
Hero 

LOFTY  are  the  heights  of  heaven,  and  deep 
the  Ocean-sea,  broad  are  the  steppes  over 
all  the  South,  fathomless  the  Dnyepr's  reefs. 
Swamps  and  mosses  lie  over  the  sea,  and  frosts 
afar  in  the  North.  Barren  are  the  shores  about 
the  White  sea,  and  dark  the  forests  that  hem  in 
Smolensk.  Lofty  hills  stand  about  Chigunsk; 
wide  stand  the  gates,  and  sarafans  ^  are  fair  on  the 
Moshy  river ;  round  Opskof  town  spread  the  open 
plains. 

From  beneath  the  oak,  oak,  the  damp  oak, 
the  willow-bush,  from  the  white  curling  bush,  the 
crimson  elm,  and  the  jacinth  stone,  flowed  Mother 
Volga  river  :  past  Kazan,  Ryazan,  and  Astrakhan 
she  flowed,  and  fell  through  her  seventy  mouths 
into  the  blue  sea,  the  Turkish  sea  ! 

'Twas  not  the  storm-clouds  gathering,  nor  blue 
clouds  rolling  up,  but  thirty  dark-red  ships  and 
three,  sailing  from  out  the  glorious  sea.  From 
Kadol's  Isle  in  the  land  of  Ledenetz  they  ran,  over 
the  many- bayed  sea,  with  green  curving  lines  of 
shore,  towards  Mother  Dnyepr  river. 

One  ship,  the  fairest,  sailed  before,  as  flies  the 

falcon  clear,   and  proudly  she  bore  her  head  on 

high.     Like  a  dragon  fierce  her  prow  was  fashioned, 

^  A  long,  sleeveless  tunic  for  women. 

175 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

her  sides  like  the  aurochs  of  Litva.^  In  place  of 
ears  were  two  sharp  spears, — little  white  ermines 
hung  thereon.  Her  brows  were  rare  black  sables 
from  Siberia,  from  Yakutsk,  and  her  eyes  fair 
jacinth  stones;  rare  gems,  self-luminous,  were 
they,  not  for  beauty,  but  for  guidance  in  the  dark 
autumn  nights.  Her  mane  was  two  red  foxes,  her 
tail,  two  white  sea-bears.  The  sails  and  pennons  on 
that  dark-red  ship  were  of  the  silk  of  Samarcand ; 
the  cables  and  cordage  likewise  of  that  silk,  that 
weareth  not,  teareth  not;  and  the  masts  of  gold, 
and  the  anchors  from  Siberia,  of  damascened  steel. 
For  oh  !    my  brothers,  our  ship  was  fair  adorned  ! 

— Amid  the  ship  stood  a  green  tiled  bower,  its 
ceiling  hung  with  black  cut  velvet,  its  walls  with 
sables  black.  Its  covering  was  foxes  and  martens, 
long  and  downy,  from  Siberian  caves. 

In  that  green  tiled  bower,  on  carven  seats  of  pre- 
cious fishes'  teeth,  sat  Nightingale  Budimirovich  :  ^ 
on  his  right  sat  his  lady  mother,  young  Ulyana 
Vasilievna,  on  his  left  his  body-guard  of  three 
hundred  youths,  none  better.  Shoes  of  green 
morocco  were  on  their  feet,  and  golden  buckles 
with  silver  tongues ;  their  garments  were  of  fine 
scarlet  cloth;    on  their  heads  were  Norman  caps. 

On  his  sounding  gusly  played  Nightingale,  and 
solaced  his  lady  mother.  String  after  string  he 
touched,  and  blended  his  voice  therewith  in  tones 
from  Novgorod  and  Jerusalem,  in  ditties  from  over 
the  sea  blue  and  glorious,  from  Kadol's  Isle  and 
the  green-bayed  shore. 

Then  quickly  he  went  forth,  and  began  to  pace 
the  ship,  to  shake  back  his  yellow  curls,  and  speak 
this  word  : 

"  Brothers,  and  brave  guards  of  mine  !  Hearken 
to  your  chief,  and  do  the  deed  commanded  :    take 

^  Lithuania.  ^  See  Appendix. 

176 


NIGHTINGALE   BUDIMIROVICH 

rods  of  iron,  sound  the  reefs,  scan  the  blue  sea, 
that  wc  run  not  into  the  shallows,  but  sail  securely 
past." 

So  they  sounded  the  depths,  and  ran  in  safety 
past  the  perilous  reefs.  But  Nightingale  still 
paced  the  deck,  shook  back  his  curls,  and  gave 
further  command  to  his  good  youths  : 

"  Listen  to  your  chieftain,  and  do  the  thing 
commanded  :  climb  now  the  mast,  and  from  the 
topmost  yard  look  toward  famous  Kief  town,  and 
see  if  it  be  far." 

They  answered  from  the  yard  : 

"  Ai,  young  Nightingale  Budimirovich  !  Kief 
town  standeth  close  at  hand." 

Then  he  gave  commandment  that  they  should 
run  into  the  harbour,  and  cast  out  steel  anchors 
upon  the  steep  shores,  and  throw  out  three  landing 
stages;  one  of  red  gold  for  Nightingale  himself, 
one  of  silver  for  his  good  body-guard,  and  one  of 
bronze  for  his  lady  mother,  the  honourable  widow, 
Ulyana  Vasilievna. 

Then  young  Nightingale  took  his  golden  keys, 
and  from  his  treasure-chests,  iron  bound,  he  drew 
great  store  of  treasure  :  forty  forties  of  black 
sables,  fox  and  marten  skins  without  number, 
countless  geese  and  swans,  fine  damask  on  which 
the  red  gold  corrodeth  not,  the  fair  silver  breaketh 
not.  Not  dear  was  the  red  gold,  the  pure  silver 
upon  that  damask  fair;  that  which  was  beyond 
price  was  the  pattern  from  beyond  the  sea,  of 
Nightingale's  own  devising.  All  these  things  he 
laid  on  a  dish  of  gold,  and  went  to  Prince  Vladi- 
mir's palace  of  white  stone,  to  the  banquet  hall. 
There  he  crossed  himself  as  prescribed,  did  rever- 
ence as  enjoined,  to  all,  to  two,  to  three,  to  four 
sides,  and  to  the  royal  Prince  in  particular,  greeting 
him  and  his  Princess. 

N  177 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

"  Hail,  thou  bold  and  goodly  youth  !  "  spoke 
Vladimir  then.  "  I  know  neither  thy  name  nor 
country,  whether  thou  be  a  Tzar  or  Tzarevich,  a 
King  or  Crown  Prince,  or  a  fierce  Kazak  from 
the  peaceful  Don." 

"  None  of  these  am  I,"  quoth  the  youth ;  "  but 
young  Nightingale  Budimir's  son,  from  the  blue 
sea,  from  the  Isle  of  Kadol  in  the  land  of  Lede- 
netz."  Then  he  offered  his  gifts  to  Vladimir  and 
his  Princess.  The  Princess  was  greatly  pleased 
thereat,  accepting  and  praising  them  all;  and  in 
particular  the  damask,  the  like  of  which  for  rich- 
ness, and  cunningness  of  device,  was  not  in  Kief 
nor  ever  had  been.  And  the  Princess  Apraxia 
entreated  Vladimir  that  he  would  give  Nightingale 
sweet  viands,  green  wine,  and  sweet  mead. 

So  Vladimir  feasted  him,  and  spake  in  pleasure  : 

"  Ai,  young  Nightingale,  what  guerdon  shall  I 
bestow  upon  thee  in  return  for  all  these  great 
gifts?  Wilt  thou  have  cities  with  their  villages, 
or  golden  treasure?" 

And  Nightingale  made  answer,  as  he  paced  the 
banquet  hall  :  "  None  of  these  do  I  need,  for  I 
have  all  these  things  at  my  desire.  But  grant  me 
now  a  little  plat,  whereon  to  build  three  golden- 
crowned  towers,  within  the  green  garden  of  fair 
Love,  where  they  bake  pepper-cakes  and  little 
tarts ;  where  pancakes  are  sold,  and  children  barter 
wares." 

"  As  thou  knowest,  so  do,"  answered  courteous 
Prince  Vladimir  :  "  build  where  thou  wilt,  in  my 
green  royal  gardens." 

"  Thanks,  royal  Vladimir,  for  thy  princely  gift," 
quoth  Nightingale,  and  went  straightway  to  his 
men. 

"  Brothers,  my  brave,  stout  guards,  do  now  the 
thing  commanded  :   put  off  your  kaftans  of  scarlet 

178 


NIGHTINGALE   BUDIMIROVICH 

cloth,  and  your  fair  green  shoes;  don  raiment  fit 
for  labour,  of  elkskin,  and  heavy  foot-gear.  Take 
sharp  steel  axes,  go  to  Love's  garden,  root  up  the 
oaks  and  elms,  hew  oaken  beams,  and  build  me 
there  this  night,  three  golden-crowned  towers,  with 
roofs  overlapping  and  rich  halls,  so  that  I  may 
dwell  there  at  to-morrow's  dawn." 

Then  late,  right  late  at  even,  his  good  youths 
laboured  like  woodpeckers  tapping  trees,  and  at 
midnight  the  palace  was  complete.  Three-towered 
it  stood,  with  golden  domes  which  merged,  three 
latticed  halls,  and  in  the  midst  a  guest-chamber. 
Full  richly  were  the  towers  adorned.  In  the 
heavens  stood  a  sun — and  in  the  towers  a  sun;  in 
heaven  a  moon — a  moon  in  the  towers  likewise; 
stars  and  dawns  in  heaven  and  in  the  towers,  and 
all  beauty  under  heaven. 

—Early  chimed  the  bells  for  matins,  when  Love 
the  Fair  awoke  from  sleep,  washed  herself  very 
white,  and  gazed  from  her  latticed  casement  upon 
her  garden  green.  And  lo  !  a  marvel  presented 
itself  to  her — three  gold-domed  towers  stood  in 
her  garden  fair. 

"  Ho  there,  nurses  and  handmaidens  mine  !  " 
Love  cried,  "  come  hither  and  view  this  marvel. 
But  yestere'en  that  hillock  was  bare,  and  now  'tis 
fully  crowned." 

"Prithee,  dear  Love,"  they  answered,  "look 
thyself  !  For  thy  fate  hath  come  to  thy  court." 
Then  Love  put  her  shoes  in  haste  upon  her 
naked  feet,  flung  her  robe  upon  one  shoulder,  and 
ran  out  to  walk  in  her  garden  fair.  When  she 
came  to  the  first,  the  grated  tower,  she  heard  a 
clashmg  and  a  clinking,  and  listened  there  :  'twas 
Nightmgale's  brave  body-guard  telling  over  his 
countless  treasures  of  gold.  As  she  listened  at 
the  second  tower  of  glass,  she  caught  a  whispering 

179 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

— the  honourable  young  widow  Ulyana  Vasilievna 
praying  God  for  her  dear  son.  And  at  the  third 
tower  of  red  gold  was  again  clashing  and  great 
noise;  for  fair  young  Nightingale  sat  therein, 
on  a  stool  of  precious  fishes'  teeth/  playing  on 
his  harp  and  singing.  String  after  string  he 
plucked,  accompanying  his  voice  in  songs  from 
Novgorod  and  Jerusalem,  and  all  the  little  ballads 
from  beyond  the  blue  Turkish  sea,  and  Kadol's 
Isle,  with  its  many  bays  and  green  incurving 
shores. 

The  maiden  rejoiced  greatly,  and  was  likewise 
greatly  terrified,  and  listened  all  that  day  until 
the  eventide.  Then  she  entered  the  lofty  tower, 
prayed  God,  and  bowed  to  Nightingale.  Night- 
ingale returned  her  greeting,  and  she  spoke  : 

"  Young  Nightingale  Budimir's  son  !  thou  art 
unwedded;    take  me,  a  fair  maid,  to  wife." 

To  this  Nightingale  made  answer  :  "  Thou  art 
pleasing  to  me,  maiden,  in  all  things  save  this  one ; 
— that  I  like  not, — thou  hast  wooed  a  husband 
for  thyself.  This  should  not  be,  fair  damsel. 
Better  were  it  for  thee  to  be  at  home,  drawing 
water,  milking  the  cows,  feeding  the  calves." 

Upon  that,  with  great  shame  she  turned  and  ran 
to  her  home. 

Then  young  Nightingale  Budimirovich  donned 
with  speed  his  richest  apparel,  and  went  to  Prince 
Vladimir  of  royal  Kief,  in  state,  to  woo,  seated 
himself  in  the  great  place,  and  spoke  this  word  : 

"  Ai,  thou  Prince  of  royal  Kief  town  !  Thou 
hast  a  much-loved  niece,  young  Love.  Give  her 
to  me  now  for  my  wife." 

So  Prince  Vladimir  betrothed  the  fair  maiden, 
his  niece,   and  the  young  people  went  to  God's 
church  to  take  the  golden  crowns. 
^  Walrus-tusk. 
180 


NIGHTINGALE   BUDIMIROVICH 

Then  in  haste  did  young  Nightingale  remove 
from  Love's  garden  his  golden-crowned  towers, 
made  all  things  as  they  were  at  the  first,  and 
betook  himself  to  his  dark-red  ship  with  his  lady 
mother,  his  good  body-guard,  and  his  fair  young 
wife,  and  sailed  away  to  his  own  land.  There  he 
dwelt  henceforth,  and  his  wife,  in  joy  and  peace. 


181 


Danilo  the  Huntsman  and  his  Wife 

IN  Kief  town  the  Fair  Sun  Prince  Vladimir 
held  a  feast,  great,  honourable,  and  merry. 
And  when  the  throng  of  princely  nobles  and 
mighty  heroes  had  eaten  half  their  fill,  and  were 
half  drunken  with  wine,  they  began  to  boast 
among  themselves.  One  vaunted  his  wealth, 
another  his  foreign  merchandise,  another  his  style 
of  living  or  his  estates,  his  prowess  or  his  young 
wife. 

Then  spoke  our  father  Prince  Vladimir  : 
"  Ai,  all  ye  my  princely  nobles,  and  heroes 
mighty  !  ye  are  all  married,  while  I  alone  go 
unwed.  Know  ye  not  where  I  may  find  a  bride 
with  whom  to  hold  sweet  converse,  of  whom  I  may 
make  boast  in  banquet  hall  and  bower,  to  whom 
ye  may  pay  homage  ?  " 

Putyatin  Putyatovich  made  answer :  "  Prince 
Vladimir,  little  father  !  take  to  thyself  the  bride 
of  Danilo  the  Huntsman.  For  I  have  journeyed 
much  in  foreign  lands,  have  viewed  many  prin- 
cesses, and  proved  their  understandings.  One  was 
fair  of  face,  but  lacked  wit;  the  wit  of  another 
exceeded  her  beauty.  Yet  never  found  I  so  fair  a 
woman,  and  so  fitting,  as  the  bride  of  Danilo  the 
Huntsman,  Vasilisa  Mikulichna.  She  is  fair  of 
face,  and  of  good  understanding  :  she  knoweth 
well  how  to  read  and  write  the  Russian  tongue, 

182 


DANILO   THE   HUNTSMAN 

and  is  learned  likewise  in  the  legends  of  saints  and 
in  church-singing.  None  is  more  meet  to  be  our 
Princess  and  our  mother," 

This  word  displeased  Vladimir  greatly,  and  he 
said  :  "  Where  was  it  ever  seen  or  heard  that  a 
woman  should  be  taken  from  a  living  husband?  " 
And  he  commanded  that  Putyatin  should  be 
executed. 

But  the  man  was  crafty,  and  slipped  aside : 
"Ho,  little  father.  Prince  Vladimir,"  he  cried; 
"  wait !  hang  me  not  in  haste ;  command  me  to 
speak  yet  a  word."  So  Vladimir  commanded 
him. 

"  Let  us  send  Danilo  on  some  distant  service, 
from  which  there  is  no  return,  to  the  Island  of 
Buyan.i  Command  him  to  slay  the  fierce  beast 
with  blue  feathers  and  bristly  hide,  and  to  take 
out  its  heart. — Let  us  send  him  afar  on  the  open 
plain,  to  the  Levanidof  meadow,  to  the  thundering 
spring  :  command  him  to  take  the  white-throated 
bird,  and  fetch  it  hither  to  thy  royal  banquet,  to 
slay  the  fierce  lion,  and  bear  him  hither." 

Prince  Vladimir  liked  this  counsel  well;  but 
Ilya  of  Murom,  the  Old  Kazak,  spoke  up,  and 
said  :  "  Little  father.  Prince  Vladimir  !  if  thou 
slay  the  bright  falcon,  yet  shalt  thou  not  capture 
the  white  swan  !  " 

But  this  speech  angered  Prince  Vladimir,  and 
he  set  Ilya  in  a  deep  dungeon. 

Then  he  called  Danilo,  and  commanded  him  to 
go  upon  this  quest.  And  Danilo  went  forth  from 
the  richly  spread  tables  of  oak,  the  sweet  viands 
and  honeyed  drinks,  mounted  his  good  steed  in  the 
spacious  court,  and  rode  homeward. 

His    young    wife    Vasilisa    in    her    lofty    castle 
watched  him  as  he  came,  and  saw  that  he  went 
^  See  Appendix  :  Alatyr  Stone. 
183 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

not  merrily  :  his  turbulent  head  drooped  low,  his 
clear  eyes  were  bent  upon  damp  mother  earth. 
When  she  had  inquired  of  him  whether  Prince 
Vladimir  had  duly  honoured  him  with  cup  and  seat 
at  the  feast,  he  answered  that  he  had  had  the 
highest  seat  at  the  board,  and  the  cup  had  come  to 
him  first  of  all. 

"  But  woman's  intrigues  have  wrought  my  ruin," 
he  said.  "  Fetch  me  now  my  little  quiver  with  a 
hundred  and  fifty  darts."  Nevertheless  she  gave 
him  the  great  quiver  with  full  three  hundred, 
whereat  he  reproved  her  :  "  Thou  art  ill-taught. 
Why  art  thou  thus  disobedient  ?  Fearest  thou  me 
not?" 

But  Vasilisa  was  not  angry,  and  said :  "  My 
hope,  my  heart's  friend,  young  Danilo  the  Hunts- 
man !   a  spare  dart  may  prove  of  service  to  thee." 

So  the  good  youth  journeyed  to  the  Isle  of 
Buyan.  When  he  espied  the  fierce  beast,  he 
grasped  his  stout  bow  firmly,  fitted  a  gilded  arrow 
to  the  silken  cord,  slew  the  beast,  and  took  out 
his  heart  and  liver.  Then  he  sat  down  to  eat 
bread,  and  carve  the  white  swan.  And  as  he 
looked  toward  Kief  town,  he  beheld  not  white 
snows  gleaming  nor  black  clouds  gathering  fast, 
but  a  Russian  host  flashing  black  and  white 
against  Danilo.  Then  shed  he  burning  tears,  and 
said  :  "  Of  a  truth,  I  am  greatly  out  of  favour  with 
Prince  Vladimir  !  and  mv  service  he  requireth 
not." 

With  that  Danilo  seized  his  sharp  sword,  and 
cut  down  the  Russian  host  to  a  man.  And  after 
a  little  space,  he  looked  again  towards  Kief  town  : 
— 'twas  not  two  fierce  beasts  coursing  over  the 
open  plain,  nor  yet  two  damp  oaks  quivering;  but 
two  great  heroes  riding,  Nikita,  Danilo's  own 
brother,  and  Dobrynya,  his  brother  in  arms. 

184 


DANILO   THE   HUNTSMAN 

When  Danilo  saw  that,  he  wept  bitterly,  and 
spoke  :  "  Of  a  truth,  the  Lord  is  wroth  with  me, 
and  Prince  Vladimir  greatly  displeased  :  for  when 
was  it  ever  heard  or  seen  that  brother  should  be 
sent  to  contend  against  brother?  " 

Thereupon  he  caught  up  his  sharp  spear,  thrust 
the  butt-end  into  the  damp  earth,  and  fell  upon 
the  point;  and  as  it  pierced  his  white  breast, 
Danilo  closed  his  clear  eyes  for  ever. 

When  the  heroes  came  to  him,  they  wept  sore, 
and  turned  back,  and  told  Prince  Vladimir  :  "  Bold 
Danilo  is  dead." 

Then  Vladimir  collected  a  great  following, 
seated  himself  in  a  golden  chariot,  and  went  to 
Danilo's  dwelling.  When  he  was  come  thither, 
he  entered  the  lofty  tower,  and  kissed  Vasilisa's 
sugar  mouth. 

But  Vasilisa  said  :  "  Little  father.  Prince  Vladi- 
mir, kiss  not  my  red  mouth,  without  my  friend 
Danilo." 

But  Vladimir  commanded  her :  "  Don  thy  fairest 
apparel,  thy  wedding  robes." 

This  she  did,  then  took  a  sharp  knife,  and  said  : 

"  Grant  me  now.  Prince  Vladimir,  to  look  upon 
my  dear  friend,  and  to  take  leave  of  his  white 
body." 

So  Vladimir  permitted  her,  and  sent  with  her 
two  heroes.  And,  when  she  went  to  look,  lo  ! 
they  were  making  the  coffin. 

"  Make  it  wide,  ye  master  carpenters,"  quoth 
Vasilisa,  "  that  his  heroic  bones  may  have  space 
to  turn  !  " 

And  to  the  two  heroes  she  said  : 

"  Go  now,  ye  heroes,  and  say  to  Prince  Vladi- 
mir, that  he  must  not  leave  my  body  upon  the 
open  plain,  but  must  lay  it  with  the  body  of  my 
dear  friend  Danilo  the  Huntsman." 

185 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

Upon  that,  she  took  her  sharp  knife,  pierced  her 
white  breast,  and  closed  her  clear  eyes. 

The  two  heroes  wept,  and  returning,  told  all  to 
Prince  Vladimir. 

Then  Vladimir  released  Ilya  of  Murom  from  the 
dungeon,  and  kissed  him  on  the  temple.  "  Well 
hast  thou  spoken,  thou  Old  Kazak,  Ilya  of 
Murom  !  "  he  said,  and  graciously  bestowed  upon 
him  a  mantle  of  sables.  But  to  Putyatin  he  gave 
a  kettle  of  pitch.^ 

^  It  is  difficult  to  determine  the  epoch  of  this  bylina.  Pos- 
sibly, in  some  version  of  the  song  which  has  not  come  down  to 
us,  Vladimir  is  represented  as  courting  Danilo's  wife  during  the 
lifetime  of  the  Princess  Apraxia.  This  would  answer  to  the 
historical  Vladimir  before  his  baptism. 


186 


Ilya  and  the  Adventure  of  the 
Three  Roads 

THE  old  man  rode  over  the  open  plain. 
From  youth  to  old  age  he  had  ridden, 
and  he  marvelled  at  himself.  "  Oh  age, 
old  age  !  "  he  cried  :  "oh  deep  old  age  of  three 
hundred  years  !  Thou  hast  overtaken  the  Kazak 
in  the  open  plain,  thou  hast  caught  me  like  a  black 
raven,  thou  hast  alighted  upon  iny  turbulent  head. 
- — And  youth,  thou  youth,  my  early  youth  !  Thou 
hast  flown  away,  youth,  over  the  open  plain,  like 
the  falcon  clear  !  " 

In  the  open  plain  the  light  snows  gleamed  not 
white,  little  clouds  darkled  not,  the  blades  of  the 
steppe  grass  waved  not. — But  over  the  open  plain 
still  rode  the  old  Kazak  of  the  Don,  on  his  heroic 
steed.  The  horse  under  him  was  fiery  as  a  wild 
beast,  and  Ilya  as  he  sat  was  like  the  falcon  bright. 
No  ferriage  asked  the  Kazak,  for  good  Cloudfall 
leaped  lake  and  river,  wide  morass,  and  floating 
swamp. 

As  he  rode,  he  came  to  a  place  where  three 
ways  met;  and  there  stood  a  burning  white  stone, 
Alatyr,^  whereon  was  written  :  "  Whoso  rideth  to 
the  right  shall  gain  great  wealth,  whoso  goeth  to  the 
left  a  wife,  he  that  fareth  straight  on,  his  death." 

The  old  Kazak  halted,  marvelled,  and  shook 
his  gray  head  in  thought. 

1  See  Appendix. 
187 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

"  Wherefore  should  I,  an  old  man,  crave  wealth  ? 
I  have  countless  store  of  golden  treasure.  And 
why  should  the  old  man  win  a  wife  ?  There  is  no 
joy  in  an  ugly  wife,  and  a  fair  one  is  taken  for  the 
envy  of  other  rpen.  A  young  wife  is  coveted  of 
others ;  an  old  wife  would  lie  on  the  oven,  and  eat 
kisel,!  she  would  sit  by  the  oven,  and  order  the  old 
husband  about.  Nay;  but  I  will  ride  that  way 
where  I  may  win  death." 

Then  the  good  youth,  the  Old  Kazak,  rode  on. 
Hardly  had  he  passed  Korela  the  Accursed,  not 
yet  had  he  attained  to  India  the  Rich,  when  he 
entered  a  gloomy  forest.  There  stood  a  band  of 
forty  thousand  robbers,  and  they  coveted  Ilya's 
good  steed. 

"  In  all  our  lives,"  said  they,  "  we  have  beheld 
no  such  horse.  Halt  then,  good  youth,  halt,  thou 
Russian  hero  !  "  And  they  would  have  robbed 
him ;    but  Ilya  said  : 

"  Ho,  ye  robber  horde  !  Ye  may  not  kill  the  old 
man,  nor  rob  him.  I  have  no  treasure  with  me, 
save  five  hundred  roubles.  The  cross  on  my  breast 
is  worth  but  five  hundred,  my  cloak  of  sables  three 
thousand ;  my  cap  of  forty  poods,  and  my  sandals 
of  the  seven  silks,  five  hundred  each ;  my  fine 
kaftan  of  orange-tawny  taffeta  is  valued  at  but 
little,  my  braided  bridle  rimmed  with  precious 
stones,  but  a  thousand  roubles.  My  Cherkessian 
saddle  bordered  with  eagle's  feathers — that  eagle 
which  flew  not  over  lofty  mountains,  but  over  the 
blue  sea — is  priceless.  Between  my  Cloudfall's 
eyes,  and  under  his  ears,  are  jewels  fair,  clear 
jacinth  stones, — not  for  youthful  vanity,  but  be- 
cause of  the  autumn  nights.  Wheresoever  my 
good  steed  goeth,  he  can  see  thirty  versts  on  all 

^  A  sourish  pudding,  made  with  potato  flour,  used  during 

Fasts. 

188 


ILYA  AND   THE   THREE  ROADS 

sides,  thirty  versts  well  told;  for  they  gleam  like 
the  bright  moon. — And  my  good  steed  Cloudfall 
is  worth  nothing  at  all." 

The  robbers  jeered  as  they  answered  :  "  Thou 
art  old  and  garrulous,  Kazak  !  Since  we  have 
roamed  this  white  world,  never  saw  we  such  a  fool. 
The  aged  fool  hath  told  the  truth  as  though  we 
had  demanded  it !  Seize  the  old  fellow,  children !  " 
And  they  would  have  dragged  the  Old  Kazak  from 
his  horse. 

But  young  Ilya  of  Murom  drew  a  fiery  dart 
from  his  quiver,  and  sped  it  forth  from  his  stout 
bow,  and  struck  the  damp  mother  of  oaks.  The 
ringbarked  oak  was  shivered  in  fragments,  and  the 
earth  was  ploughed  up  round  about. 

The  robbers  were  greatly  terrified  thereat,  and 
lay  senseless  for  the  space  of  five  hours.  Then 
they  entreated  him  : 

"  Good  youth,  great  Russian  hero  !  Enter  thou 
into  comradeship  with  us.  Take  what  thou  wilt 
of  golden  treasure,  flowered  garments,  horses  and 
herds." 

Ilya  laughed  :  "  Eh,  brothers,  mine  enemies," 
quoth  he,  "  I  have  no  wish  to  feed  your  sheep." 

Then  he  turned  back  to  the  white  and  burning 
stone  Alatyr,  erased  the  old  inscription,  and  wrote 
anew  : 

"  I  have  ridden  this  road  and  have  not  been 
slain."     So  ended  the  adventure  of  the  first  road. 

Again  Ilya  of  Murom  the  Old  Kazak  sallied 
forth  into  the  open  plain.  He  rode  three  hundred 
versts,  and  lo  !  before  him  in  a  green  meadow, 
stood  a  marvel  of  marvels,  a  wonder  of  wonders. 
Too  small  was  it  to  be  called  a  city,  too  large 
to  be  a  village.  It  was,  in  truth,  but  a  fair  palace 
of  white  stone,  with  golden  roofs,  lofty  walls,  and 
three-cornered  towers. 

189 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

When  Ilya  came  to  that  palace,  there  issued 
forth  from  it  forty  damsels,  and  with  them  came 
also  the  Princess  Zenira  the  Most  Fair.  The 
beautiful  Princess  took  the  old  man  by  his  white 
hands,  by  his  golden  ring,  kissed  his  sugar  mouth, 
and  bade  him  enter  the  palace  of  white  stone  to 
feast  with  her. 

"  Long  have  I  journeyed  in  Holy  Russia,  but 
such  a  marvel  I  have  never  yet  beheld,"  said  Ilya. 
Then  she  led  him  in.  The  good  youth  crossed 
himself  as  prescribed,  made  salutation  as  enjoined, 
to  all  sides,  and  lowest  of  all  to  the  fair  Princess, 
who  placed  him  at  the  table  of  white  oak,  and 
fetched  him  sugar  viands  and  sweet  mead. 

"  Eat  not  to  satiety,  good  youth,"  said  she,  "  and 
drink  not  to  drunkenness,  for  there  is  more  to 
come." 

But  Ilya  said  :  "  I  have  journeyed  three  hundred 
versts,  and  my  hunger  is  great,"  and  ate  and  drank 
his  fill. 

Then  Zenira  the  Fair  led  him  to  a  rich  warm 
chamber,  to  a  bed  of  yew  wood  and  ivory,  with 
soft  cushions  of  down. 

"  Lie  thou  next  yon  brick  wall,  thou  bold  and 
goodly  youth,"  spake  the  Princess. 

"  Nay,"  said  Ilya,  "  I  will  lie  upon  the  outer 
edge,  for  I  often  rise  in  the  night  to  visit  my  good 
steed." 

Thereupon  he  seized  her  by  her  white  breast, 
and  flung  her  upon  the  bed  of  yew  wood,  against 
the  wall. 

Now  that  bed  of  yew  was  false;  it  turned,  and 
the  fair  Princess  was  hurled  down  into  her 
dungeons,    forty   fathoms   deep. 

Then  the  good  old  youth  went  forth  into  the 
spacious  courtyard,  and  spoke  to  the  nurses,  women 
and  faithful  servitors  :    "  Give  me  the  golden  keys 

190 


ILYA  AND   THE   THREE   ROADS 

which  undo  the  dungeon  doors.  Show  me  the  way 
to  those  deep  vaults." 

So  they  showed  him;  and  he  found  the  way 
choked  with  yellow  sand,  and  barred  with  vast 
logs  of  wood. 

He  had  no  need  of  the  golden  keys ;  he  tore  the 
locks  asunder  with  his  hands,  forced  the  doors 
back  with  his  heels,  until  they  flew  from  their 
frames.  Then  from  the  dungeons  forty  Tzars  and 
Tzareviches,  forty  Kings  and  Princes,  their  heirs, 
together  with  Dobrynya  Nikitich,  Alyosha  Popo- 
vich,  and  many  more,  an  innumerable  host,  sprang 
to  their  nimble  feet,  and  came  forth. 

All  bowed  before  the  Old  Kazak,  and  thanked 
him  for  showing  them  once  more  the  white  world." 

"  Go  hence,  ye  Tzars,  to  your  empires,"  spake 
Ilya,  "  ye  Kings,  to  your  kingdoms,  to  your  wives, 
and  children,  and  pray  God  for  the  Old  Kazak,  for 
Ilya  of  Murom." 

But  when  the  fair  Princess  came  forth,  Ilya  took 
her  by  her  white  hands,  bound  her  to  three  un- 
tamed horses,  and  drove  them  apart,  so  that  they 
scattered  over  the  open  plain,  here  a  hand,  there 
a  foot,  and  everywhere  her  white  body.  All  her 
estates  and  treasure  he  divided  among  those  bold 
and  goodly  youths,  the  strong  and  mighty  heroes ; 
and  her  palace  of  white  stone  he  gave  over  to  the 
flames. 

Again  the  Old  Kazak  returned  to  the  white 
stone,  crossed  out  the  old  inscription,  and  wrote 
a  new  one : 

"This  legend  is  falsely  written;  I  have  ridden 
that  way,  yet  am  I  still  unwed  !  " 

"  I  will  go  now,"  quoth  he,  "  where  wealth  is  to 
be  won." 

Then  the  old  man  rode  over  the  plain;  three 
hours,  three  hundred  versts  he  rode,  and  came  at 

191 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

length  to  a  green  meadow  where  deep  pits  were 
dug,  and  to  a  gloomy  forest  where  was  a  vault 
filled  with  treasure,  fair  gold,  pure  silver,  and  fine 
seed-pearls ;  and  on  the  vault  was  an  inscription  : 
"  This  treasure  shall  fall  to  Ilya  of  Murom." 

Ilya  reflected;  and  having  hired  wise  and 
cunning  craftsmen,  he  built  on  that  spot  a  monas- 
tery and  a  cathedral  church.  And  he  instituted 
there  church  singing,  and  the  sound  of  bells. 
"  Let  him  whose  that  treasure  was  come  for  it 
now,"  quoth  Ilya  of  Murom,  and  returned  to 
famous  Kief  town,  to  courteous  Prince  Vladimir 
the  Fair  Sun. 

Vladimir  inquired  of  him  :  "  Where  hast  thou 
tarried  so  long,  thou  bold  and  goodly  youth,  thou 
Old  Kazak,  Ilya  of  Murom?" 

And  Ilya  related  his  Adventure  of  the  Three 
Ways,  and  all  that  he  had  done,  to  Fair  Sun 
Prince  Vladimir. 


192 


Dobrynya  and  Alyosha 

FROM  beneath  white  curhng  beeches,  and 
Levanidof  the  wonder-working  cross,  from 
beneath  the  holy  rehcs  of  Boris,  and  white 
Alatyr  stone,  rose,  rose  and  flowed,  flowed  and 
rolled,  swift  Mother  Volga  river. 

Broad  and  far  ran  Mother  Volga  past  Kazan, 
and  broader  yet  by  Astrakhan;  many  a  river  did 
our  Mother  Volga  flood  receive  into  her  bosom, 
and  yet  more  brooks  did  she  ingulf.  A  vast 
sweep  she  gave  at  Dalinsky,  along  the  lofty  moun- 
tains of  Sorochinsky  and  Smolensk's  gloomy 
forests ;  in  a  bed  of  three  thousand  versts  she  ran, 
and  fell  into  the  Caspian  Sea,  through  seventy 
mouths;  and  broad  is  her  flood  at  Novgorod. 
And  this,  brothers,  is  no  fable,  no  play  of  words  : 
neither  is  it  Dobrynya's  tale,  which  shall  straight- 
way find  beginning. 

— Dobrynya  went  to  royal  Kief  town,  where 
courteous  Prince  Vladimir  had  made  an  honourable 
feast  to  his  princes,  nobles,  heroes,  and  warrior- 
maids. 

The  long  day  drew  towards  evening,  the  honour- 
able feast  waxed  merry,  the  fair  sun  sank  to  the 
west.  And  the  feast  grew  ever  merrier,  and  the 
heroes  began  to  boast  of  many  things, — the  wise 
man  of  his  father  and  mother,  the  foolish  of  his 
young  wife.  Vladimir  the  Prince  grew  warm  as 
o  193 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

he  paced  the  banquet  hall,  and  he  went  forth  upon 
the  fair  round  porch  to  gaze  off  on  the  open 
plain. 

Far,  afar  over  the  open  plain,  the  clear  falcon 
flew  not,  nor  fled  the  small  white  hare;  the  little 
ermine  galloped  not,  weaving  the  prints  of  his 
small  pretty  paws.  But  from  the  verge  of  the 
plain  a  bold  and  goodly  youth  emerged, — little 
Ilya,  the  glorious,  of  Murom, — rode  straight  to 
Prince  Vladimir's  court,  and  entered  the  banquet 
hall. 

He  crossed  himself,  and  did  reverence  as  en- 
joined, to  all  four  sides,  and  seated  himself  at  the 
oaken  board  in  the  great  corner  of  honour,  on  the 
bench  of  precious  fishes'  teeth.  Already  had 
the  guests  tasted  bread  and  salt,  and  now  were 
carving  the  white  swan,  when  Vladimir  came  into 
the  hall,  stroked  his  black  curls,  and  spoke  : 

"  Ho,  ye  princes,  nobles,  strong  and  mighty 
heroes  all,  and  all  ye  bold  warrior-maids  !  stand 
for  the  Christian  faith,  for  me,  your  Prince  Vladi- 
mir, and  for  my  Princess  Apraxia,  for  widows, 
orphans,  and  unhappy  women  !  Whom  shall  we 
send  to  defend  the  mighty  barrier,  and  wage  battle 
with  the  Discourteous  Knight?  For  he  hath 
written  me  a  challenge  to  single  combat,  and 
is  now  flying  hither  in  form  of  a  raven.  Whom 
shall  we  send  to  fight  that  raven,  and  to  collect 
tribute  of  the  Golden  Horde  which  hath  been  due 
us  these  twelve  years  and  a  half,  to  visit  the  dis- 
obedient hordes,  and  clear  the  straight  roads  to 
the  stern  King  Etmanyla  Etmanylovich,  to  beat 
back  the  white-eyed  Finns,  to  exterminate  the 
Circassians  of  Pyatigorsk,  the  Kalmyks  and 
Tatars  ?  " 

All  at  the  feast  held  their  peace,  each  hiding 
behind  some  lesser  man.     Then  glorious  Ilya  of 

194 


DOBRYNYA  AND   ALYOSHA 

Murom,  that  bold  and  goodly  youth,  stepped  for- 
ward, and  stood  firm  upon  his  nimble  feet,  and 
bowed  low  until  his  white  face  touched  his  feet. 

"  FooHsh  are  ye,  Russian  heroes,  to  hold  your 
peace  thus,  uttering  no  word  !  Not  long  is  it, 
brothers,  since  I  returned  from  the  open  plain. 
I  have  dwelt  upon  the  Sorochinsky  road,  at  the 
heroic  ditch  of  defence,  contending  in  single  com- 
bat and  waging  battle  these  twelve  years.  Thither 
flew  the  Discourteous  Knight  in  form  of  a  black 
raven,  but  would  not  show  himself  to  my  eyes; 
else  would  I  have  slain  that  dog  of  a  churl  with 
my  stout  bow.  But  if  I  go,  there  will  be  none  to 
defend  the  barrier.  Let  us  therefore  send  young 
Dobrynya  Nikitich." 

Then  Dobrynya  drained  a  cup  of  green  wine 
which  Prince  Vladimir  himself  brought  him,  but 
tarried  not  long  at  the  feast,  going  thence  in 
uncheerful  mood.  When  he  came  to  his  mother 
he  wept  bitterly. 

"  Fair  my  lady  mother,"  he  lamented,  "  why 
didst  thou  bear  me  in  an  unpropitious  hour,  with- 
out genius,  strength,  great  beauty,  or  tall  stature, 
great  wealth,  or  curUng  hair?  Rather  shouldest 
thou,  fair  and  honourable  widow,  Afimya  Alexan- 
drovna,  my  mother,  have  wrapped  my  turbulent 
head  in  a  sleeve  of  white  linen,  and  cast  me  like 
a  white  pebble  into  the  black  Turkish  sea.  Then 
I  should  have  lain  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea  like  a 
precious  stone ;  the  stormy  winds  would  not  have 
blown  upon  me,  and  I  should  not  have  roamed 
through  Holy  Russia,  shedding  innocent  blood, 
causing  tears  to  fathers  and  mothers,  and  making 
little  children  orphans." 

Then  his  mother  made  answer  :  "  Gladly  would 
I  have  borne  thee  with  the  genius  and  fortune  of 
Ilya  of  Murom,  the  strength  of  Hero  Svyatogor, 

195 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

the  mincing  gait  of  Churilo  Plenkovich,  the  beauty 
of  Osip  Most  Fair,^  the  daring  of  Alyosha  Popo- 
vich,  the  wealth  of  Sadko  the  merchant  of  Nov- 
gorod, the  fame  of  Volga  Buslaevich,  the  curls 
of  the  Tzar  Kudryanisha.^  But  to  Dobrynya  God 
gave  courtesy  alone;  and  other  gifts  were  not 
bestowed  upon  thee." 

He  said  to  her  :  "  Fair  and  good  my  mother, 
thy  youth  hath  neither  good  steed  nor  heroic 
trappings." 

"  Go  through  the  first  unused  stable,  Dobrynya," 
his  mother  answered  him,  "  and  in  the  second 
choose  for  thyself  a  good,  well-broken  steed.  And 
if  none  there  shall  please  thee,  descend  into  the 
deep  vault  where  standeth  a  good  heroic  steed 
bound  with  twelve  silver  chains,  with  twelve  fine 
bits  of  silk,— not  of  our  silk,  but  of  the  silk  of 
Samarcand,  which  weareth  not  nor  teareth.  There 
lie  also  heroic  trappings  and  all  caparisons  meet 
for  a  youth." 

Dobrynya  inquired  no  further.  He  sprang  to 
his  nimble  feet,  ran  to  the  first  stable,  found  there 
no  horse  that  pleased  him,  and  in  the  second  none 
likewise,  and  so  descended  to  the  deep  vault. 
There  he  beheld  a  goodly  steed,  and  fell  down 
before  his  right  fore-foot. 

"  Thou  good  heroic  steed,"  he  cried,  "  thou  hast 
served  my  father  and  grandfather;  serve  now 
also  Dobrynya  on  his  heroic  quests."  Then  he 
unchained  and  loosed  the  horse,  and  saddled  him, 
girding  him  with  twelve  girths  of  the  silk  of  Samar- 
cand, the  indestructible,  and  a  thirteenth  for 
heroic  strength,  lest  the  good  steed  should  spring 

^  The  biblical  Joseph  figures  under  this  name  in  the  religious 
songs. 

^  Curly,  literally ;  but  said  to  be  in  reality  a  corruption  of  the 
Emperor  Hadrian's  name. 

196 


DOBRYNYA  AND   ALYOSHA 

from  under  the  saddle  and  throw  the  good  youth 
upon  the  open  plain. 

After  that  he  arrayed  himself.  Under  the  heels 
of  his  shoes  of  green  moroeeo,  studded  with  golden 
pins,  sparrows  might  fly ;  from  their  awl-like  beaks 
an  egg  might  roll ;  his  cap  was  gilded, — not  for 
youthful  graee,  but  for  heroic  might.  Next  he  put 
on  a  coat  of  mail,  not  heavy  (in  weight  but  ninety 
poods),  and  set  his  foot  in  the  stirrup  of  damas- 
cened steel. ^ — More  lightly  than  a  hare  he  sprang, 
more  sharply  than  a  little  ermine  turned,  seated 
himself  in  the  Cherkessian  saddle,  and  came  to 
the  palace  of  white  stone,  to  his  mother,  and  said  : 
"  Give  me  thy  leave  to  ride  upon  this  heroic 
quest." 

So  his  fair,  good  mother  laid  the  cross  of  bless- 
ing on  him,  and  led  to  his  left  stirrup  his  beloved 
wife,  young  Nastasya  Mikuliehna,  and  having  bade 
him  farewell,  went  into  the  palace  and  wept  bitter 
tears,  wiped  them  away  with  a  fair  linen  cloth,  and 
said  :  "  The  warm  and  fair  red  sun  which  made 
my  midsummer  hath  set  behind  the  gloomy  forests 
and  lofty  hills,  behind  mosses  and  wide  lakes  :  and 
now  the  bright  moon  alone  lighteth  me  :  young 
Nastasya,  my  son's  bride,  alone  tarrieth  with  me," 

Young  Nastasya,  as  she  stood  by  his  stirrup, 
began  to  inquire  of  him  :  "  Ai,  my  dearest  Do- 
brynya  Nikitich  !  when  may  I  expect  thee  from 
the  open  field  ?  Tell  me  when  I  may  await  thee 
from  yonder  lands." 

"  I  will  tell  thee,  fair  Nastasya.  Three  years 
shalt  thou  wait  for  Dobrynya;  if  in  that  time  I 
am  not  here,  then  wait  yet  another  three.  And 
when  that  space  of  six  years  is  past,  and  I  am  not 
returned  from  the  open  field,  wait  for  me  three 
years  more,  and  yet  three  years.  And  if  after 
twelve  years  I  come  not,  then  shall  I  not  be  among 

197 


EPIC   SONGS   OF  RUSSIA 

the  living.  Then  Hve  a  widow,  or  marry,  at  thy 
pleasure.  Choose  a  prince,  a  noble,  or  a  mighty 
Russian  hero.  But  wed  not  with  my  brother  in 
arms,  Alyosha  Popovich,  that  scoffer  at  women. 
For  a  brother  in  arms  is  worse  than  an  own  brother. 
Therefore,  marry  a  robber  or  a  brigand  if  thou  list, 
but  not  Alyosha,  the  scorner  of  maidens  :  for  he 
loveth  to  mock  at  women,  young  widows,  and  fair 
maids." 

— They  saw  the  good  youth  as  he  mounted, 
they  saw  him  not  as  he  rode  :  from  the  court  he 
departed  not  by  the  gates,  he  traversed  the  plain 
not  by  the  highway.  His  steed's  first  leap  was 
over  the  city  walls,  the  second  compassed  three 
versts,  and  of  the  third  leap  no  trace  could  be 
found  evermore. 

— Year  followed  year  as  the  falcon  flieth. 
Three  years  Nastasya  waited,  and  Dobrynya  came 
not. 

But  Alj'^osha  Popovich  was  cunning.  He  rode 
forth  into  the  open  plain,  and  after  that  turned 
back  and  came  to  Nastasya. 

"  Lo,  Nastasya  Mikulichna  !  "  quoth  he  :  "as 
I  roamed  the  open  plain  but  yesterday,  I  saw 
Dobrynushka  dead.  He  lieth  with  his  head  in  a 
willow  bush,  his  nimble  feet  amid  the  plume-grass 
tall;  in  his  yellow  curls  small  wood  birds  have 
woven  their  nests ;  Polish  ravens  have  plucked  out 
his  clear  eyes;  silken  grass  springeth  through  his 
white  breast,  and  amid  it  azure  flowerets  blossom. 
His  weapons  are  scattered,  his  good  steed  roameth 
the  plain,  and  his  wife  still  liveth  a  widow.  There- 
fore, lady,  wed  now  with  me." 

"  Nay,  Alyosha  Popovich,"  Nastasya  answered, 
"  thou  hast  not  been  on  the  open  plain;  thou  hast 
but  wandered  with  the  dogs  in  the  outskirts  of  the 
town." 

198 


DOBRYNYA  AND   ALYOSHA 

— Day  followed  after  day,  as  the  rain  doth  fall, 
week  grew  on  week  as  groweth  the  grass,  and  like 
the  river,  year  flowed  after  year.  Six  full  years 
passed.  Alyosha  came  again  to  the  palace  of 
white  stone,  did  reverence  and  crossed  himself 
as  enjoined,  seated  himself  upon  the  wall-bench, 
and  began  to  woo  young  Nastasya  for  his  bride. 

"  Now  marry  me,  a  goodly  youth,  Nastasya  ! 
Dobrynya  will  never  more  return  from  the  open 
plain." 

"  Ai,  bold  Alyosha  Popovich  !  I  have  kept  a 
man's  oath,  and  now  will  I  keep  a  woman's.  If 
in  twelve  years  Dobrynya  return  not,  then  I  shall 
be  free  to  live  a  widow  or  to  wed.  But  thee, 
Alyosha,  I  may  never  wed." 

Then  Alyosha  was  not  merry,  and  said  :  "  Thou 
mayest  turn  and  strive  thy  uttermost,  but  none 
other  wilt  thou  get  for  a  husband;  and  so  shalt 
thou  wed  with  me." 

Thereupon  he  went  forth  from  the  palace  of 
white  stone;  and  time  passed  on  until  the  full 
term  of  years  was  accomplished. 

Again  he  came  to  woo  with  Fair  Sun  Prince 
Vladimir,  and  sat  upon  the  wall-bench  as  before. 

"  Marry  me  now,  young  Nastasya  Mikulichna," 
said  he. 

"  I  will  not  marry  thee,"  she  answered. 

The  Fair  Sun  Prince  Vladimir  spoke  :  "  Young 
Nastasya  Mikulichna,  if  thou  wed  not  bold  Alyosha 
Popovich,  I  will  shut  thee  up  in  a  nunnery ;  I  will 
give  thee  in  marriage  to  Murza  the  Tatar  in  the 
Lithuanian  land;   I  will  make  thee  my  cowherd." 

But  she  still  made  answer  :  "  Nay,  I  will  not  wed 
bold  Alyosha." 

Then  they  said  :  "  If  thou  wilt  not  do  this  freely, 
we  will  take  thee  by  force."  Thereupon  they  took 
her  by  her  white  hands,  led  her  to  the  cathedral, 

199 


EPIC   SONGS  OF  RUSSIA 

and  betrothed  her  to  bold  Alyosha.  After  that, 
Fair  Sun  Vladimir  took  their  hands  and  led  them 
to  his  palace,  where  he  made  for  Alyosha  a  great 
banquet,  and  an  honourable  feast,  and  bade  to  it 
many  of  all  degrees.  And  the  honourable  widow 
Afimya  Alexandrevna  wailed  :  "  Now  hath  my 
bright  moon  set  also  !  " 

— Now  Dobrynya  had  gone  to  the  Golden  Horde, 
and  had  fought  for  royal  Kief  and  his  native  land 
all  those  years,  wandering  far  through  many 
countries.  When  Nastasya  married  Alyosha,  he 
was  far  away  upon  the  open  plain,  beyond  the 
glorious  blue  sea.  As  the  good  youth  sat  in  his 
tent,  diverting  himself  with  chess,  upon  a  board 
of  gold,  he  knew  not  of  the  misfortune  which  had 
befallen  him.  Then  flew  thither  a  dove  and  his 
mate,  perched  upon  a  damp  oak,  and  began  to  coo  : 

"  There  is  feasting  to-day  in  Kief  town,  for 
Dobrynya's  young  wife  is  wedded  to  Alyosha 
Popovich." 

When  Dobrynya  heard  that,  he  sprang  to  his 
nimble  feet,  and  flung  his  golden  board  upon  the 
damp  earth,  whereat  mother  earth  quaked.  Then 
he  saddled  his  good  steed  with  haste,  fell  down 
before  his  right  fore-foot,  and  besought  him  : 

"  Ai,  my  good  steed  Fly-alone  !  Thou  hast 
borne  me  hither  in  three  years.  Now  bear  me 
home  in  three  hours  to  royal  Kief  town," 

Then  he  mounted  his  good  steed,  and  quickly, 
quickly,  very,  very  quickly,  with  speed,  rode 
Dobrynya  from  beyond  the  blue  sea.  Good  Fly- 
alone  left  the  earth ;  higher  than  the  standing 
wood  he  soared,  yet  lower  than  the  flying  clouds. 
He  leaped  the  lakes  and  rivers,  dashed  through 
the  dusky  forests,  galloped  round  the  dark  blue 
sea, — afar  in  the  open  plain,  'twas  not  the  first 
light  snow  descending,  nor  a  white  hare  coursing 

200 


DOBRYNYA   AND   ALYOSHA 

fleet,  nor  snowy  partridge  fluttering,  but  a  bold 
and  goodly  youth  swift  riding.  Straight  to  Kief 
town  he  rode ;  not  through  the  gates,  but  over 
the  city  walls,  past  the  angled  towers,  he  entered, 
and  took  his  way  to  the  honourable  widow's 
dwelling.  He  asked  no  leave  of  the  porters  at 
the  gate,  nor  of  the  keepers  at  the  doors.  Thrust- 
ing them  aside,  he  broke  open  the  portals,  and 
entered  unbidden,  unannounced,  and  boldly,  the 
honourable  widow's  dwelling.  "  Hail,  honourable 
widow,  Afimya  Alexandrevna  !  "  he  said  when  he 
had  crossed  himself  and  done  reverence  as  was 
the  usage. 

The  porters  and  door-keepers,  entering,  made 
complaint  of  the  bold  youth,  and  the  widow  said  : 

"  Why,  bold  and  goodly  youth,  hast  thou 
entered  the  orphaned  dwelling  unannounced? 
Were  my  dear  child  living,  young  Dobrynya 
Nikitich,  he  would  have  cut  off  thy  turbulent 
head  for  thine  unmannerly  ways.  Were  he  but 
alive,  all  the  drunken  boors  would  not  come  to 
jeer  at  this  unprotected  dwelling.  But  twelve 
years  have  passed  since  my  fair  red  sun  set  for  ever." 

"  Mournest  thou  not  in  vain?  "  said  Dobrynya. 
"  But  yesterday  I  parted  from  Dobrynya,  and  not 
a  week  hath  passed  over  since  we  exchanged 
crosses.  He  went  to  Tzargrad,  and  I  came  to 
Kief.  He  bade  me,  his  own  brother,  inquire 
for  his  dear  wife,  young  Nastasya.  Where  is 
she?" 

"  Go  forth,  thou  pot-house  boor,  and  mock  not 
a  poor  old  woman  !  Though  I  already  totter  with 
extreme  old  age,  yet  will  I  myself  put  thee  out  by 
force." 

"  Ai,  my  fair  lady  mother,"  answered  young 
Dobrynya.  "  Knowest  thou  not  thy  beloved  son, 
young  Dobrynya  Nikitich  ?  " 

201 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

"  Young  Dobrynya  had  shoes  of  morocco  upon 
his  feet,  but  thine,  thou  sot,  are  torn  and  patched. 
Dobrynya' s  face  was  white  and  red — ^thine  is  dark 
and  dust-begrimed.  His  eyes  were  clear  as  the  sea 
falcon's,  but  thine  are  troubled.  Young  Dobrynya 
had  yellow  locks,  curling  in  three  tiers  upon  his 
head, — thine  hang  upon  thy  shoulders.  Upon  his 
curls  rested  a  fair  new  cap,  and  his  raiment  was 
flowered;   but  thy  garments  are  rent  and  pieced." 

"  My  garments  have  become  worn  in  these 
twelve  years  past,  fair  my  lady  mother ;  my  shoes 
are  rubbed  through  on  my  stirrups,  my  white  face 
the  fierce  heats  have  discoloured,  and  my  cap  hath 
been  soaked  with  frequent  rains." 

"  If  thou  be  indeed  young  Dobrynya,  my  son, 
thou  hast  a  birthmark  upon  thy  right  breast." 

Then  Dobrynya  showed  her  the  mark.  His 
mother  heeded  not  her  age,  but  ran  and  caught 
him  by  his  white  hands,  and  kissed  his  sugar 
mouth,  calling  him  her  beloved  son. 

"Where  now  is  my  young  wife?"  he  asked. 
"Where  is  Nastasya,  that  she  cometh  not  to  meet 
me,  returning  from  the  open  plain?  " 

"  The  clear  falcon  hath  flown  into  my  court, 
but  the  white  swan  hath  fluttered  forth  from  it," 
his  mother  answered,  and  told  him  all  Alyosha's 
treachery,  and  how  it  was  now  the  third  day  of 
the  wedding  feast. 

"  Fetch  quickly  my  minstrel's  ^  garment,  which 
lieth  upon  the  table  in  the  new  chamber,  and  my 
little  gusly  of  maple-wood,  from  the  peg  in  the 
cellar." 

Then  he  arrayed  himself  in  haste,  and  strung 
his  harp,  and  took  his  way  to  the  palace  of  white 
stone,  where  the  wedding  guests  were  making 
merry. 

^  Skomorok,  buffoon,  jongleur,  minstrel,  jester. 
202 


DOBRYNYA  AND   ALYOSHA 

The  gate-keepers  had  been  strictly  charged  to 
admit  no  one,  but  when  Dobrynya  gave  them  gold 
they  permitted  him  to  go  in  to  the  feast. 

When  he  was  come  to  the  banquet  hall,  he 
crossed  himself,  and  did  reverence  on  all  sides, 
and  in  particular  to  the  Prince  and  Princess,  and 
to  young  Nastasya  Mikulichna. 

''  Fair  Sun,  Prince  of  royal  Kief,"  he  said,  "  is 
there  not  a  little  place  and  small  for  the  little 
jester,  where  he  may  play  upon  his  harp?  " 

"  Ai,  little  minstrel!"  said  Prince  Vladimir, 
"  all  the  places  are  filled ;  but  there  is  yet  a  small 
place  upon  the  earthen  oven — the  minstrel's  place." 

Dobrynya  was  agile  of  foot :  lightly  he  sprang 
upon  the  oven,  and  tuned  his  harp.  One  string 
he  tuned  to  Kief,  one  to  Tzargrad,  and  the  third 
to  Jerusalem;  and  the  tones  he  sang  were  from 
over  the  sea;  but  the  theme  was  Dobrynya's 
adventures,  and  the  men  of  Kief  town. 

"  Ho,  little  minstrel,"  quoth  Prince  Vladimir, 
"  thy  place  is  not  upon  the  oven.  Come  hither. 
Three  places  are  thine  to  choose :  the  first  is 
beside  me,  the  second  over  against  me,  and  the 
third  is  where  thou  wilt." 

Then  Dobrynya  seated  himself  opposite  bold 
Alyosha  and  the  young  Princess  Nastasya,  and 
said  to  Vladimir  : 

"  Fair  Sun,  grant  me  to  pour  out  a  cup  of  green 
wine,  in  measure  a  bucket  and  a  half,  in  weight  a 
pood  and  a  half,  and  bear  to  whom  I  will." 

"  Thy  song  was  great,"  said  Prince  Vladimir, 
"  and  the  solace  thereof  was  sweet.  Pour  the 
green  wine  without  measure,  take  golden  treasure 
without  stint  !  " 

So  Dobrynya  poured  a  great  cup  of  wine, 
dropped  therein  his  marriage  ring,  and  gave  to 
Nastasya. 

203 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

"  Drink  to  the  bottom,  young  Princess  Nastasya, 
and  thou  shalt  see  good ;  and  if  thou  drink  not  to 
the  bottom,  thou  shalt  not  see  good." 

Then  Nastasya  took  the  cup  in  one  hand,  and 
drained  it  at  a  draught,  and  lo  !  she  beheld  the 
ring  with  which  she  had  wedded  Dobrynya. 

"  Fair  Sun  Prince  Vladimir,"  she  said,  "  not  he 
that  sitteth  beside  me  is  my  husband,  but  he  that 
sitteth  over  against  me,  that  little  minstrel,  young 
Dobrynya  Nikitich." 

Thereupon  she  rose  to  her  nimble  feet,  put  her 
little  white  hands  upon  the  oaken  board,  and 
vaulted  over,  fell  upon  Dobrynya's  white  breast, 
and  kissed  his  sugar  mouth. 

"  The  proverb  saith^ — -'  A  man  goeth  to  the 
forest  for  wood,  and  his  wife  doth  wed  straight- 
way !  '  Take  thy  silken  whip,  therefore,  Dobrynya, 
and  beat  me." 

But  Dobrynya  answered,  "  I  marvel  not  at  thee, 
woman ;  as  'tis  said,  '  a  woman's  hair  is  long,  but 
her  wits  are  short.'  But  at  Prince  Vladimir,  the 
Fair  Sun,  I  do  marvel, — that  he  should  woo  the 
wife  of  a  living  husband  for  another  man,  and 
should  compel  her  to  wed  when  she  would  not 
willingly.  And  yet  more  do  I  marvel  at  my 
brother  in  arms,  bold  Alyosha  Popovich.  Yester- 
e'en  was  but  a  week  that  Alyosha  saw  me  in  the 
open  plain;  and  now  the  younger  brother  hath 
taken  away  the  elder  brother's  wife." 

Then  he  seized  Alyosha  by  the  yellow  curls, 
dragged  him  over  the  oaken  table,  hurled  him 
upon  the  brick  floor,  and  began  to  beat  him  with 
his  little  cudgel  of  ninety  poods;  and  when  he 
was  done,  he  flung  Alyosha  under  the  wall-bench. 
Quoth  he,  "  '  Any  man  may  marry,'  saith  the 
proverb,  '  but  not  with  every  man  doth  it  go 
well ! '  "     Then  the  guests  were  all  terrified  and  fled. 

204 


DOBRYNYA  AND  ALYOSHA 

And  Dobrynya  took  his  young  wife  by  her  white 
hands,  and  led  her  to  his  palace  of  white  stone. 
Thenceforward  he  rode  upon  no  quest,  but  dwelt 
in  Kief  town;  but  Alyosha  went,  with  shame  and 
grief,  to  a  strange  and  distant  land. 

And  Dobrynya's  fame,  and  the  fame  of  that 
feast,  have  been  sung  since  that  day,  and  shall  be 
so  for  ever,  and  for  evermore. 


205 


Ilya  of  Murom  and  Tzar  Kalin 

AT    courteous    Prince    Vladimir's     palace    in 
royal  Kief  town,  an  honourable  feast  was 
assembled  of  many  princes,  all  the  nobles, 
the  mighty  heroes  and  their  bold  body-guards,  and 
all  the  merchant-traders. 

The  Fair  Sun  made  good  cheer ;  to  one  he  gave 
cities,  to  another  towns,  to  this  man  villages,  to 
that  one  hamlets.  And  to  Ilya  he  gave  a  cloak 
of  marten  skins,  with  a  collar  of  sables.  But  the 
cloak  came  not  into  honour  with  Ilya,  nor  into 
praise.  He  bare  that  cloak  of  marten  skins  to 
the  kitchen,  dragged  it  about  the  brick  floor  by 
one  sleeve,  and  began  to  say  to  it : 

"  I  will  drag  about  that  serpent.  Tzar  Kalin,  by 
his  yellow  curls,  as  I  drag  this  cloak  of  marten 
skins.  As  I  pour  green  wine  upon  this  cloak,  even 
so  will  I  pour  out  his  hot  heart,  with  its  seething 
blood." 

But  a  black-visaged  maid  bore  this  saying  to 
the  Fair  Sun  Prince  Vladimir.  "  Ilya  hath  been 
in  my  kitchen,"  she  said;  "he  hath  dragged  his 
mantle  of  marten  about,  and  hath  said  that  even 
so  he  would  also  drag  Vladimir  by  his  yellow  curls. 
And  he  hath  poured  green  wine  upon  the  mantle, 
and  declared  that  even  so  he  would  pour  out 
Prince  Vladimir's  burning  heart  with  his  own  white 
hands." 

206 


ILYA   OF   MUROM  AND    TZAR   KALIN 

Then  was  Prince  Vladimir  very  wroth,  and 
shouted  in  his  thundering  voice  : 

"  Ye  mighty  heroes  !  lead  Ilya  to  our  dungeon, 
and  set  an  iron  grating  there ;  pile  trunks  of  oak 
trees  on  all  sides,  and  heap  over  all  yellow 
sand." 

The  heroes  went  and  told  Ilya  all,  and  besought 
him  to  help  them  in  this  strait,  else  would  Prince 
Vladimir  overwhelm  them  with  his  displeasure. 
So  Ilya  mounted  his  good  steed,  and  rode  willingly 
with  them  to  the  dungeon.  There  he  dismounted 
from,  his  good  Cloudfall,  took  off  the  Cherkessian 
saddle  and  plaited  bridle,  and  let  his  brown  horse 
wander  free  at  God's  good  will. 

Then  he  descended  into  the  dungeon,  and 
the  heroes  made  all  fast  as  Prince  Vladimir  had 
commanded. 

When  the  Princess  Apraxia  heard  of  that,  she 
dug  a  deep  passage,  and  carried  sugar  viands  and 
mead  to  Ilya  of  Murom  the  old  Kazak.  There 
Ilya  sat  for  the  space  of  three  years.  And  it 
came  to  the  ears  of  the  Dragon  Tzar  Kalin. 

Then  Kalin  the  Tzar  assembled  a  great  host 
from  the  Golden  Horde,  to  ride  against  Kief  town, 
to  take  the  Princess  Apraxia  for  his  wife.  Each 
of  the  forty  Tzars  and  Tzareviches,  the  forty 
Kings  and  Princes,  had  a  company  of  forty  thou- 
sand men.  They  stood  along  swift-flowing  Mother 
Dnyepr,  and  about  Kief  town  on  all  sides,  a 
hundred  versts  well  told. 

That  dog  Tzar  Kalin  seated  himself  on  his 
folding  chair  and  wrote  in  haste  a  cartel,  with  a 
swan-quill  pen,  and  pure  gold  in  place  of  ink, 
upon  crimson  velvet.  Then  he  chose  his  best 
and  favourite  runner,  gave  him  the  cartel,  and 
commanded  him  in  these  words  : 

"  Go  thou  to  Kief  town ;   enter  not  by  the  white 
207 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

oak  gates,  but  leap  the  city  wall;  bind  not  thy 
horse,  but  enter  straight  the  palace  of  white  stone ; 
open  the  door  wide,  but  close  it  not  again;  do  no 
reverence  to  Vladimir,  neither  take  thou  thy  cap 
from  thy  head.  But  take  thy  stand  over  against 
him,  fling  this  cartel  upon  the  golden  table,  and 
say  to  Prince  Vladimir  :  '  Take  this  cartel,  and 
look  what  is  written  there.  Clean  all  thine  arrow- 
straight  streets,  remove  the  wondrous  crosses 
from  God's  temples,  and  build  horse-stalls  in  the 
churches ;  for  our  good  steeds  shall  be  stabled 
there.  And  clean  out  all  thy  palaces  of  white 
stone,  for  our  host  is  great.  And  brew  sweet 
intoxicating  liquors ;  let  cask  stand  upon  cask  in 
close  array.  For  Kalin  the  Tzar  and  his  great 
host  shall  stand  in  thy  city  of  Kief;  and  he  shall 
wed  the  Princess  Apraxia.'  " 

All  this  was  done  as  Kalin  had  commanded; 
and  when  Prince  Vladimir  had  read  the  cartel  he 
wrote  a  submissive  letter  in  reply  :  "  Thou  hound 
and  Tzar  Kalin !  Grant  me  a  truce  of  three 
months  to  clean  the  streets  and  palaces,  and  to 
brew  the  sweet  liquors." 

And  Kalin  granted  the  truce. 

Prince  Vladimir  began  to  pace  to  and  fro  with 
bitterness ;  he  dropped  burning  tears  from  his  clear 
eyes,  and  wiped  them  away  with  a  silken  kerchief, 
and  said  : 

"  Ilya  of  Murom  the  Old  Kazak  is  no  more; 
there  is  none  to  fight  for  our  faith  and  fatherland, 
for  the  church  of  God  and  the  city  of  Kief;  there 
is  none  to  defend  Prince  Vladimir." 

Then  spake  the  Princess  :  "  Little  father  !  com- 
mand thy  trusty  servants  to  go  to  the  deep  dungeon 
and  see  whether  Ilya  be  not  yet  alive." 

"  Thou  foolish  princess  !  "  Vladimir  made  an- 
swer.    "  If  I  take  thy  turbulent  head  from  thy 

208 


ILYA   OF   MUROM  AND   TZAR   KALIN 

shoulders,  will  it  grow  again  ?     How  can  the  bold 
good  youth  be  living  after  these  three  years?  " 

Nevertheless  he  went  himself  to  the  dungeon, 
and  found  Ilya  with  sweet  viands,  cushions  of 
down,  and  warm  coverlets,  reading  the  Holy 
Gospel.  He  bowed  to  the  earth  before  Ilya,  and 
besought  him  to  defend  them  all,  not  for  his  own 
sake,  but  for  pity  of  the  widows  and  orphans. 
Then  he  took  the  Old  Kazak  by  his  little  white 
hands,  by  his  golden  ring,  led  him  to  his  own  table, 
and  gave  him  to  eat  and  drink  of  the  best. 

So  Ilya  saddled  his  good  steed,  and  sallied  forth. 
They  saw  the  good  youth  as  he  mounted,  they  saw 
him  not  as  he  rode.  There  was  but  a  smoke- 
wreath  on  the  open  plain,  and  springs  of  water 
burst  forth  where  good  Cloudfall's  hoofs  beat  the 
earth.  He  leaped  to  the  crest  of  a  lofty  mountain, 
and  the  Old  Kazak  gazed  upon  all  sides,  hoping  to 
descry  the  absent  Russian  heroes. 

In  the  east  he  espied  white  pavilions,  for 
Alyosha  Popovich  was  come  to  the  oak  Nevida, 
to  the  cross  Levanidof,  to  the  white  stone  Alatyr. 
He  had  pitched  a  snowy  tent,  shaken  out  fine 
wheat  for  his  good  steed,  planted  a  staff  of  twenty 
fathoms,  and  on  it  hung  a  golden  tassel, — not  for 
beauty  and  splendour,  but  as  a  heroic  signal,  that 
the  accursed  Tatars  might  know  that  Alyosha 
Popovich  stood  on  guard  in  the  open  plain. 

From  afar,  very  far,  came  also  Dobrynya  Niki- 
tich  to  the  oak,  the  cross,  the  stone,  pitched  his 
pavilion,  and  displayed  two  tassels ;  and  so  the 
other  heroes  did  likewise.  Then  came  Ilya,  placed 
three  golden  tassels  on  his  staff,  flung  the  silken 
reins  on  his  steed's  neck  that  the  good  beast  might 
gather  up  a  little  of  the  wheat,  and  entered  the 
white  pavilion,  where  twelve  heroes  of  Holy  Russia 
were  sitting  at  meat. 

P  209 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

All  rose  and  kissed,  and  bade  him  welcome 
heartily.  Then  they  sat  down  again  to  eat  and 
drink,  and  Ilya  announced  his  errand. 

But  his  godfather,  Samson  Samoilovich,  made 
answer  :  "  Nay,  my  beloved  godson  !  but  we  will 
not  saddle  our  horses  to  defend  Kief  town,  Vladi- 
mir, and  his  Princess.  For  lo  !  he  hath  many 
princely  nobles,  to  whom  he  giveth  meat  and 
drink  and  guerdon,  while  we  have  nothing  from 
Prince  Vladimir." 

"  It  will  be  the  worse  for  thee,"  quoth  Ilya ;  and 
so  they  wrangled. 

Meanwhile  Vladimir  wrapped  himself  in  his 
mantle  furred  with  marten,  and  paced  to  and  fro 
in  Kief  town.  For  the  truce  was  nearly  expired, 
and  the  heroes  were  not  coine.  As  he  thus  walked 
the  streets,  his  nephew,  young  Yermak  Timofee- 
vich,^  sprang  forth  from  the  royal  pot-house,  and 
entreated  Vladimir  that  he  might  have  a  heroic 
steed,  a  coat  of  chain  mail  of  ninety  poods,  and  a 
mace  of  equal  weight,  so  that  he  might  ride  against 
the  hostile  host. 

"  Thou  art  but  a  braggart  child,"  quoth  Vladi- 
mir, "  and  hast  never  taken  a  mace  in  thy  hand." 

"  If  thou  grant  not  the  horse,  uncle,  I  will  go 
on  foot." 

So  Vladimir  yielded,  and  bade  Yermak  choose 
what  horse  he  would  from  the  stable,  where  he 
should  also  find  what  armour  he  required.  Thither 
went  the  youth  in  all  haste ;  but  the  chain  mail 
was  so  rusty,  that  he  flung  it  down  upon  the  brick 
floor,  whereupon  all  the  rust  flew  from  it. 

Then  Yermak  saddled  a  good  horse,  and  rode 
to  the  barrier  by  the  Nevida  oak,  and  found  the 
twelve  heroes  playing  checkers  upon  a  board  of 

^  Yermak  Timofeevich  conquered  Siberia  during  the  reign 
of  Ivan  the  Terrible. 

210 


ILYA  OF  MUROM  AND   TZAR  KALIN 

gold,  and  Ilya  asleep  upon  a  couch  of  fishes'  teeth, 
beneath  a  coverlet  of  sables. 

Yerniak  was  vexed,  and  shouted  with  all  his 
strength  :  "  Ho  there,  thou  Old  Kazak,  Ilya 
Murometz  !  Yonder  in  Kief  there  is  bread  to  eat 
in  plenty,  but  no  one  to  defend  the  town." 

Then  said  the  Old  Kazak  :  "  Climb  into  the 
damp  oak,  oak,  young  Yermak,  and  reckon  yon 
host  by  the  standards." 

Yermak  climbed  the  damp  oak,  viewed  the  vast 
host,  and  saw  that  it  was  sallying  forth  :  damp 
mother  earth  trembled  and  bent  under  the  weight 
thereof. 

— The  gray  wolf  could  not  skirt  that  force  in 
a  long  spring  day;  the  black  raven  could  not  fly 
about  it  in  the  longest  day  of  summer,  nor  would 
the  longest  light  of  autumn  suffice  for  the  gray 
bird  to  fly  over  it. 

Then  Yermak  leaped  quickl}'^  from  the  damp 
oak,  sprang  upon  his  good  steed,  and  rode  straight- 
way against  that  host.  The  heroes  sat  on  in  the 
white  pavilion.  Ilya  slept  three  days  and  nights. 
During  that  space,  young  Yermak  contended  alone 
with  the  Tatars,  pausing  not  to  eat  nor  to  drink, 
nor  to  let  his  good  steed  rest. 

"  Mount  the  damp  oak,  Dobrynya,"  spoke  Ilya 
when  he  awoke.  "  Perchance  young  Yermak  hath 
fallen  thence." 

From  the  tree-top  Dobrynya  beheld  the  vast 
host,  and  something  more  :  not  the  black  raven 
flying,  not  the  bright  falcon  soaring,  but  that  bold 
and  goodly  youth  Yermak  galloping  against  those 
infidels.     This  he  told  to  Ilya. 

"  Rise,  ye  Russian  heroes  !  "  shouted  the  Old 
Kazak  then.  "  Mount  your  good  steeds,  and  sally 
forth  against  that  host.  And  take  iron  grappling- 
hooks,  catch  them  in  young  Yermak's  shoulders, 

211 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

and  persuade  him  :  '  Thou  hast  breakfasted  to-day, 
now  let  us  dine.'  For  the  young"  lad  will  perish, 
and  will  never  attain  to  herohood." 

So  Alyosha  went  forth  with  stout  grappling- 
irons;  but  thrice  did  young  Yermak  break  away 
from  them,  and  Alyosha  returned  to  the  pavilion. 
And  so  it  fared  also  with  Dobrynya.  Then  Ilya  went 
himself.  He  sat  his  charger  like  a  century-old  oak, 
wavering  not,  and  caught  hold  of  Yermak.  "  Calm 
thy  heroic  heart,"  he  said,  ''  we  will  labour  now." 

As  the  clear  falcon  swoopeth  down  upon  the 
geese  and  swans,  and  small  gray  migratory  ducks, 
so  swooped  the  Holy  Russian  hero  upon  that  Tatar 
horde,  and  began  to  trample  the  host  under  his 
horse's  hoofs,  and  to  lay  them  low,  as  a  mower 
cutteth  down  the  grass. 

Then  Cloudfall  conjured  him  with  human 
tongue  :  "  Ai,  thou  mighty  Russian  hero  !  Boldly 
hast  thou  attacked  this  vast  host,  but  thou  mayest 
not  overcome  it.  For  that  hound  Tzar  Kalin 
liath  many  great  heroes  and  bold  warrior-maids ; 
and  moreover,  he  hath  dug  three  great  trenches  in 
the  open  plain.  If  thou  ride  against  that  horde, 
we  shall  fall  into  those  trenches.  Out  of  the  first 
I  may  leap  and  bear  thee,  and  likewise  out  of  the 
second.  But  out  of  the  third  I  may  not  bear  thee, 
and  though  I  leap  forth,  thou  wilt  remain  in  the 
ditch.  For  I  watched  them  dig  the  trenches  whilst 
thou  wert  sleeping,  and  so  watching  had  no  time 
to  eat  my  wheat." 

This  discourse  pleased  not  the  Old  Kazak.  He 
grasped  his  silken  w^hip  in  his  white  hands,  and 
beat  the  horse  upon  his  flanks.  "  Thou  treacherous 
hound  !  "  quoth  he.  "  I  feed  and  water  thee,  and 
yet  thou  wilt  abandon  me  in  the  deep  ditches  of 
the  open  plain  !  " 

So  he  heeded  not  good  Cloudfall' s  warning,  but 
212 


ILYA   OF   MUROM   AND   TZAR   KALIN 

rode  on,  destroying  the  liost  with  his  spear  and  his 
horse's  hoofs  ;  and  his  strength  was  not  diminished. 
When  he  fell  into  the  first  treneh,  his  good 
steed  bore  him  out  in  safety.  Again  he  rode,  and 
came  to  the  second  ditch;  "^and  from  that  also  he 
escaped.  From  the  third,  heroic  Cloudfall  leaped 
nimbly  (but  bore  not  Ilya  with  him),  and  fled  far 
afield. 

^  Then  the  accursed  Tatars  fell  upon  the  Old 
Kazak,  fettered  his  nimble  feet,  bound  his  white 
hands,  and  led  him  to  where  Tzar  Kalin  sat  in  his 
linen  pavilion. 

"  Ai,  thou  Old  Kazak,  Ilya  of  Murom  !  "  quoth 
Tzar  Kalin,     "  How  should  a  young  puppy  prevail 
alone  against  my  great  host?  " 
And  to  his  guards  he  said  : 

"  Unbind  Ilya's  white  hands,  unfetter  his  nimble 
feet."     And  it  was  done, 

"  Now  sit  thou  at  one  table  with  me,  Ilya ;  cat 
my  sweet  viands,  drink  my  mead,  put  on  my 
flowered  apparel.  Marry  my  daughter,  and  serve 
not  Prince  Vladimir,  but  be  vassalto  me,  the  Tzar 
Kalin." 

"  Had  I  my  sharp  sword  by  me,  thou  dog, 
Kalin  the  Tzar,  it  should  woo  thy  neck  !  "  Ilya 
answered,  "  None  of  these  things  will  I  do.  But 
I  will  uphold  the  temples  of  God,  the  Princess 
Apraxia  and  Prince  Vladimir,  and  the  city  of  Kief." 
Then  he  heard  a  voice  from  heaven  say,  "  Lift 
up  thy  hands,  Ilya."  So  he  lifted  them,  and  smote 
off  Tzar  Kalin's  turbulent  head,  and  going  forth 
from  the  pavilion,  he  began  to  destroy  the  Tatars ; 
and  none  opposed  him.  But  he  perceived  that  the 
task  was  not  small,  and  so  seized  a  Tatar  by  the 
heels,  and  began  to  beat  the  Tatars  with  a  Tatar. 
"  This  Tatar  is  stout,"  quoth  Ilya,  "  he  breakcth 
not;    he  is  tough,  and  tcareth  not." 

213 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

When  he  was  come  to  the  open  plain,  he  flung 
the  Tatar  far  from  him,  and  blew  a  heroic  blast  on 
his  aurochs  horn ;  for  his  clear  eyes  were  dimmed, 
his  hot  heart  burned,  and  he  could  distinguish 
neither  the  white  day  nor  the  black  night.  His 
heroic  steed  heard  that  ringing  blast,  and  galloped 
to  his  master  from  afar. 

Then  Ilya  mounted  him,  and  rode  forthwith  to 
a  lofty  mountain,  and  gazed  to  the  eastward,  where 
the  heroic  steeds  stood  beside  the  white  pavilions. 
He  lighted  down  from  off  his  horse,  fitted  a  fiery 
arrow  to  his  stout  bow,  and  conjured  it :  "  Fly, 
little  dart  aflame,  to  yonder  white  pavilion  !  Tear 
off  the  roof,  pierce  the  white  breast  of  my  brother 
in  arms,  make  a  small  scratch — not  large.  For 
he  sleepeth,  and  taketh  his  ease,  while  I  stand 
here  alone,  and  can  do  but  little." 

The  shaft  sped  straight  to  the  white  breast  of 
Samson  Samoilovich,  and  roused  that  glorious  hero 
of  Holy  Russia  from  his  heavy  sleep.  When  he 
opened  his  eyes,  and  beheld  that  the  roof  of  his 
tent  was  gone,  and  a  little  dart  had  flown  into  his 
breast,  he  sprang  quickly  to  his  nimble  feet. 

"  Ho  there,  my  mighty  heroes  of  Holy  Russia  !  " 
he  shouted.  "  Saddle  now  your  good  steeds  in 
haste,  and  mount  with  speed.  An  unwelcome 
messenger  is  come  from  my  brother  in  arms, — a 
little  dart.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  cross  of  six 
poods  upon  my  breast,  my  turbulent  head  had  been 
torn  away." 

Right  quickly  then  did  those  Holy  Russian 
heroes  saddle  their  chargers,  and  ride  towards  Kief 
town,  and  Ilya  went  down  from  the  lofty  mountain 
to  meet  the  twelve.  And  all  thirteen  heroes  rode 
against  the  Tatar  horde. 

For  five  hours  these  good  youths  mowed  down 
young  and  old,  leaving  not  so  much  as  a  single 

214 


ILYA   OF   MUROM   AND   TZAR   KALIN 

soul  to  continue  the  race.  And  when  tlicy  Avcre 
come  together  again  in  one  place,  they  began  to 
boast,  and  to  say  :  "  If  there  were  a  ladder  to 
heaven,  we  would  climb  it,  and  destroy  all  the 
heavenly  host  !  "  Then  they  began  again  to  slay 
the  Tatars  :  when  lo  !  two,  yea  even  three,  rose 
up  in  place  of  every  man  they  killed. 

Then  those  mighty  Russian  heroes  began  to  turn 
their  arms  against  each  other,  to  pierce  and  hew 
each  other,  so  that  of  all  those  Russian  warriors 
there  was  left  alive  only  young  Yermak  Timo- 
feevich.^ 

When  Yermak  returned  to  Kief  town,  courteous 
Prince  Vladimir  inquired  of  him  :  "  How  shall  I 
reward  thee  now,  beloved  nephew  mine  ?  Wilt 
thou  have  estates,  or  golden  treasure?  " 

And  young  Yermak  made  answer  :  "  Grant  me 
only,  uncle,  that  I  may  drink  beer  and  wine  with- 
out price  in  all  the  pot-houses."  And  so  Vladimir 
granted  it. 

But  Ilya  of  Murom,  the  Old  Kazak  of  the  Don, 
was  caught  away  from  those  accursed  Tatars,  and 
with  his  good  heroic  Cloudfall  was  turned  to  stone. 
And  the  bones  of  the  Old  Kazak  have  become 
holy  relics.2 

And  so  the  race  of  Russian  heroes  came  to  an 
end  for  ever. 

^  In  a  version  of  this  bylina  obtained  in  1840  from  an  old 
Siberian  Kazak,  by  Mey  the  poet,  the  heroes  do  not  kill  each 
other.  They  become  frightened  at  the  ever-increasing  horde  of 
enemies,  and  "  flee  to  the  mountains  of  stone,  to  the  dusky 
caverns.  And  as  each  hero  reaches  the  mountains,  he  turns 
to  stone."  As  this  part  of  the  Siberian  version  is  much  decayed 
in  form,  it  is  doubtful  whether  it  formed  part  of  the  poem  in  its 
original  ancient  shape. 

"A  Little  Russian  legend  declares  that  the  last  bogatyr  was 
caught  by  the  recruiting  officer,  and  turned  into  a  soldier. 

^  See  Appendix  ;  Ilya  of  Murom. 

215 


Tzar  Solomon  and  Tzaritza 
Solomonida^ 

BEYOND  the  glorious  blue  sea,  in  Imperial 
Tzargrad,^  Tzar  Vasily  Okulovich  made  a 
great  and  honourable  feast  to  many  princes, 
nobles,  errant-knights,  stout  and  mighty  heroes, 
and  all  the  bold  warrior-maidens,  Tatars,  body- 
guards, and  merchants  from  other  lands. 

The  white  day  drew  to  even,  the  feast  waxed 
merry,  the  sovereign  was  well  diverted,  and  paced 
the  banquet  hall,  shaking  his  yellow  curls.  He 
spoke : 

"  Oh,  ye  my  princes,  boyars,  mighty  heroes, 
damsels-errant,  Tatars,  and  body-guard  !  All  in 
Tzargrad  are  wedded,  every  maid  and  widow  is 
given  in  marriage ;  and  I,  your  prince,  most  fair 
Tzar  Vasily  Okulovich,  alone  go  imwed.  Know 
ye  not,  therefore,  a  spouse  for  me  ?  Stately  of 
form  must  she  be,  of  equal  understanding;  her 
eyes  like  the  falcon  clear,  her  brows  of  the  black 
sable,  the  sable  of  Siberia ;  gracious  her  speech 
must  be,  as  of  the  white  migratory  swan,  her  face 
white  as  the  snow,  her  cheeks  like  the  poppy  in 
hue,  her  gait  like  that  of  the  golden-antlered  stag, 
and  in  all  this  world  must  none  be  found  her 
equal." 

^  See  Appendix. 

-  Constantinople  :  literally,  "  Tzar's  town," 

216 


TZAR   SOLOMON   AND    SOLOMONIDA 

— All  at  the  feast  fell  silent.  The  jrrcat  hid 
behind  the  lesser,  and  he,  in  turn,  behind  the 
small,  and  from  that  little  Tatar,  the  Tzar  had  no 
reply.  Then  from  a  side  table,  from  his  seat  of 
precious  fishes'  teeth,  rose  Tarakashko,  a  guest 
from  over  the  sea,  came  very  close  to  the  Tzar, 
did  him  lowly  reverence,  and  spoke  with  all 
softness  : 

"  Bless,  my  liege,  the  word  I  shall  utter  !  I 
have  journeyed  afar,  beyond  the  blue  sea;  in  the 
royal  town  of  Jerusalem  dwelleth  the  Tzaritza 
Solomonida.  Such  another  have  I  never  beheld 
upon  this  earth.  She  sitteth,  lord,  in  a  lofty  castle  ; 
the  red  sun  burnetii  her  not,  the  frequent,  drizzling 
rains  wet  her  not,  and  good  men  scoff  not  at  her." 

Then  ansAvered  Tzar  Vasily :  "  Thou  art  foolish. 
Guest  Tarakashko  from  over  the  sea  !  How  may 
a  wife  be  taken  from  a  living  husband?  " 

"  I  know,  in  sooth,  hoAv  to  take  a  wife  with 
cunning  and  wisdom.  Build  me  now  three  scarlet 
ships;  fashion  their  prows  like  wild  beasts,  and 
their  sides  in  the  semblance  of  dragons.  In  place 
of  eyes,  set  a  whole  fox  of  the  cavern,  in  place  of 
black  brows  a  whole  Siberian  sable.  Set  a  tree 
of  cypress,  and  on  it  place  birds  of  paradise  that 
they  may  sing  imperial  songs.  Prepare  a  couch 
of  ivory,  and  at  its  head  place,  lord,  a  little  gusly, 
which  will  sing,  hum,  breathe  forth  delicate  tones 
of  itself — all  the  airs  of  Tzargrad;  that  they  may 
be  a  solace  to  Jerusalem,  and  may  sing  reason  and 
understanding  into  the  turbulent  head — the  tur- 
bulent head  of  a  human  being.  Roll  on  board 
food,  my  liege  lord,  noble  vodka, ^  and  the  drink 
that  bringeth  oblivion  of  all  things.  Give  me 
skippers,  lord,  and  work-people ;  so  will  I  bring 
thee  Solomonida,  my  liege." 
^  Brandy. 
217 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

Then  the  Tzar  did  all  as  commanded,  and  Guest 
Tarakashko  made  ready  and  sailed  out  upon  the 
blue  sea,  and  drew  near  to  the  city  of  Jerusalem. 

— Solomon  went  forth  upon  the  open  plain,  and 
came  to  bid  farewell  to  the  Tzaritza  Solomonida. 

"  Most  fair  Solomonida,  I  go  now  to  the  open 
plain,"  he  said.     And  the  Tzaritza  made  answer  : 

"  Most  wise  Tzar  Solomon  Davidovich  !  Last 
night  I  slept  but  little,  and  beheld  many  things  in 
my  dreams.  Methought,  lord,  that  the  golden  ring 
upon  thy  right  hand  did  melt,  and  the  Novgorod 
setting  rolled  away,  and  was  scattered  about  thee." 

"  Thou  hast  but  slept,  and  had  a  dream,"  spoke 
Solomon. 

"  Nay,  lord,"  the  Tzaritza  said  :  "  I  slept  but 
little,  and  had  many  visions.  Methought  they  bore 
thy  white  swan  far  away  from  thy  green  garden." 

This  Solomon  could  interpret.  "  Most  fair 
Tzaritza  Solomonida  !  yield  not  to  manly  charms." 
Then  took  he  leave  of  her,  and  went  forth  upon 
the  open  plain  to  collect  tribute  for  twelve  years. 

— Guest  Tarakashko  from  beyond  the  sea 
entered  the  harbour,  and  paid  a  tax;  he  cast 
anchor,  and  paid  dues,  lowered  his  sails,  and  paid 
yet  more. 

Then  he  took  noble  and  precious  gifts,  and  came 
to  the  Tzaritza  in  her  lofty  castle,  crossed  him- 
self as  enjoined,  did  reverence  as  commanded,  and 
spoke  these  words  : 

"  Most  fair  Tzaritza  Solomonida  !  Receive  from 
my  hand  these  honourable  gifts,  and  give  me  scribes 
and  surveyors,  to  write  down  the  wares  upon  my 
vessels,  that  thou  mayest  take  due  tribute,  and 
grant  me  leave  to  trade  in  Jerusalem." 

So  the  Tzaritza  appointed  scribes  and  sur- 
veyors according  to  his  desire,  and  Tarakashko 
led  them  to  his  first  vessel,  and  gave  them  lordly 

218 


TZAR   SOLOMON   AND    SOLOMONIDA 

vodka ;  led  them  to  the  second,  and  brought  them 
the  hquor  of  obhvion.  The  scribes  all  drank,  and 
lay  about  upon  the  ships. 

Guest  Tarakashko  wept  sore  thereat,  came  to 
the  Tzaritza  and  made  complaint.  "  Most  fair 
Tzaritza  Solomonida  !  no  scribes  and  surveyors 
hast  thou  given  mc,  but  pot-house  sots.  Methinks 
they  cannot  have  tasted  of  green  wine  for  an 
agp.  for  they  lie  like  Christian  beasts  about  my 
decks." 

Then  the  Tzaritza  rose,  and  took  a  force  of  five 
hundred  men,  and  went  to  the  first  vessel  to  view 
the  matter.  There  Tarakashko  brought  lordly 
vodka,  and  on  the  second  treated  her  to  the  wine 
of  oblivion ;  and  the  Tzaritza  drank  too  much. 
For  Guest  Tarakashko  was  crafty,  and  had  made 
her,  for  his  purpose,  pass  through  these  two  first 
vessels  as  he  led  her  to  the  third  where  stood  the 
couch  of  ivory.  The  Tzaritza  lay  down  upon  the 
fair  couch,  the  little  harp  sounded  softly,  the  birds 
of  heaven  sang,  and  the  Tzaritza  fell  asleep. 

Guest  Tarakashko  beheld,  and  shouted  in  a 
hissing  voice  : 

"  Ho  there,  my  skippers  and  sailors  all  !  Hoist 
the  linen  sails,  run  far  out  upon  the  blue  sea  !  " 

When  the  Tzaritza  wakened  from  her  deep 
slumber,  and  all  the  skippers  were  hastening  to 
and  fro,  hoisting  the  linen  sails,  and  steering  out 
to  sea,  she  roused  herself,  and  said  : 

"  Guest  Tarakashko  from  over  the  sea  !  if  thou 
bearest  me  away  for  thyself,  I  will  not  go  with 
thee  !  " 

But  Tarakashko  was  cunning,  and  knew  right 
well  how  to  shape  his  answer  :  "  Not  for  myself 
do  I  bear  thee,  lady,  but  for  Tzar  Vasily  Okulovich. 
And  in  sooth  our  faith  is  better  than  thine  : 
Wednesdays  and  Fridays  are  like  all  other  days 

219 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

with  us,  and  we  eat  meat,"  And  this  faith  seemed 
good  to  the  Tzaritza,  and  she  resisted  not. 

Quickly  they  ran  to  Tzargrad,  and  cast  anchor  in 
the  ship  harbour.  Tzar  Vasily  came  to  meet  them, 
took  Solomonida  by  her  white  hands,  kissed  her 
sugar  mouth,  and  led  her  to  the  cathedral  where 
they  straightway  took  the  golden  crowns.  Then 
they  began  to  live  and  pass  the  time  in  mirth. 

— Solomon  returning  from  the  open  plain  found 
not  his  Tzaritza.  Then  the  most  wise  Tzar 
gathered  a  force  of  forty  thousand  men,  all  clad 
in  chain  mail,  and  marched  around  the  blue  sea 
to  Tzargrad.  When  he  came  to  a  green  grove,  he 
halted,  and  left  all  his  host  beneath  the  trees,  and 
commanded  them  : 

"  All  ye,  my  well-beloved  host !  I  go  now  alone 
to  Tzargrad.  If  I  be  near  to  speedy  death,  I  will 
blow  one  blast  upon  my  aurochs  horn  :  then  saddle 
your  good  steeds  in  haste.  If  a  second  time  I 
sound,  then  mount  your  good  steeds  quickly.  If 
a  third  blast  I  blow,  then  ride,  ride  with  what 
speed  ye  may,  to  the  oaken  gallows,  and  defend 
me  from  sudden  death." 

Then  Solomon  took  leave  of  his  men,  and  went 
alone  to  Tzargrad,  on  foot,  and  so  came  over  against 
the  royal  palace,  and  shouted  in  a  ringing  voice  : 

"  Most  fair  Tzaritza  Solomonida  !  give  alms  to 
a  wandering  psalm-singer  !  " 

The  little  lattice  window  was  opened  wide  :  no 
white  swan  it  was  which  twittered,  but  the  Tzaritza, 
who  spoke  these  words  :  "I  look — lo  !  'tis  no 
wandering  psalm-singer  I  see — 'tis  Solomon  the 
most  wise  Tzar.  Prithee,  Solomon,  enter  my 
lofty  palace.  That  which  I  have  done,  lord,  was 
against  my  will." 

So  Solomon  entered  the  lofty  palace,  crossed 
himself  as  commanded,  did  reverence  as  enjoined, 

220 


TZAR   SOLOMON   AND    SOLOMONIDA 

bowing  on  all  sides.  Fair  Solomonida  seated  him 
at  the  white  oak  table,  gave  him  all  manner  of 
savoury  viands  and  pleasant  liquors,  and  showed 
him  great  honour. 

But  then  came  Tzar  Vasily  from  the  open  plain, 
and  knoeked  at  the  silver  ring,  and  Solomon  said  : 
"  Solomonida  most  fair  !  is  there  not  some  place 
where  I  may  hide  ?  " 

'•  Creep  into  this  iron-bound  chest,  Solomon." 

She  undid  the  double  locks,  and  when  Solomon 
had  entered  she  made  them  fast  again,  admitted 
Tzar  Vasily,  and  sitting  upon  the  chest,  spoke 
thus  :  "  Most  fair  Vasily  Okulovich  !  Solomon  is 
reputed  both  wise  and  cunning.  But  of  a  truth, 
there  is  none  more  foolish ;  for  lo  !  a  woman  now 
sitteth  upon  him  !  " 

''  Show  me  Solomon  most  wise,  fairest  Solo- 
monida," quoth  Vasily. 

Then  she  undid  the  twofold  locks,  and  besought 
Vasily :  "  Give  speedy  death  to  Solomon,  fair 
Vasily  !  Cut  off  his  turbulent  head ;  for,  of  a 
truth,  Solomon  is  both  wise  and  crafty." 

Solomon  sprang  to  his  nimble  feet,  seized  Vasily 
by  his  white  hands,  and  said  :  "  With  us  'tis  not 
the  usage  to  cut  off  the  heads  of  Tzars.  Make  now, 
therefore,  a  lofty  scaffold,  and  hang  upon  it  three 
great  nooses ;  the  first  of  rope,  the  second  of  bast, 
the  third  of  silk." 

"  Ho  there.  Tzar  Vasily  !  "  cried  the  Tzaritza 
then,  ''  full  time  is  it  for  thee  to  execute  judgment 
upon  Solomon,  and  sever  his  turbulent  head,  else 
will  he  yet  escape  by  his  craft  and  wisdom." 

Nevertheless  the  Tzar  did  all  as  Solomon  had 
commanded,  and  they  all  went  forth  to  the  gallows 
of  white  oak — Solomon  the  most  wise  Tzar,  Solo- 
monida the  fairest  Tzaritza,  Tzar  Vasily,  and  Guest 
Tarakashko  from  over  the  sea. 

221 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

When  they  were  come  to  the  gallows,  Solomon 
spoke  this  word  :  "  Tzar  Vasily  Okulovich  !  the 
horse  draweth  the  forward  wheels ;  why,  then, 
should  the  devil  bear  the  hind  wheels  ?  "  But  no 
one  could  read  that  riddle. 

Then  Solomon  mounted  the  first  step,  and  said  : 

"  Most  fair  Tzar  Vasily  Okulovich  !  in  my  youth 
and  childhood  I  fed  the  peasant  flock.  Grant  me 
now,  lord,  to  blow  my  aurochs  horn  once  more." 

"  Blow,  Solomon,  as  much  as  thou  wilt,"  said 
Vasily. 

But  Solomonida  urged  speedy  death.  "  He  is  in 
my  hands  now,"  quoth  Vasily.  Solomon  blew  the 
first  blast  upon  his  horn,  and  all  his  force  was 
tossed  about.  Right  quickly  did  they  saddle  their 
good  steeds,  while  Tzar  Vasily  feared  and  was 
disquieted. 

"■  What  marvel  is  this  that  hath  been  wrought, 
Solomon?  "  he  asked.  "  On  the  open  plain  there 
is  stamping,  and  clinking  of  metal." 

"  Fear  not.  Tzar  Vasily,"  Solomon  made  answer, 
"  and  be  not  disquieted.  My  horses  in  Jerusalem 
have  fled  from  their  stalls  to  the  gloomy  forest, 
and  would  fain  recall  Solomon  most  wise." 

Then  he  mounted  the  second  step.  With 
Vasily's  good  leave,  and  against  the  will  of  Solo- 
monida, he  blew  a  second  blast  upon  his  horn. 
All  his  host  was  thrilled  to  motion,  as  his  men 
mounted  their  good  steeds  in  haste.  And  Vasily 
trembled  thereat,  and  was  afraid. 

"  What  wonder  hath  been  wrought  in  the  plain, 
Solomon?  For  there  is  a  clanging  and  a  beating 
of  hoofs." 

"  Fear  thou  nothing,  Tzar  Vasily  !  My  bird  in 
Jerusalem  hath  flown  from  the  garden  to  the 
dusky  grove,  and  beateth  the  grove  with  its  wings, 
recalling  Solomon  most  wise." 

222 


TZAR  SOLOMON  AND   SOLOMONIDA 

Then  he  mounted  the  third  step,  and  craved 
leave  to  sound  his  horn  for  the  last  time.  He 
blew  a  battle  call,  and  all  his  great  host  was 
moved,  as  though  clear  falcons  had  flown  over- 
head, or  gray  wolves  had  sped  swiftly  past.  With 
all  speed  they  rode  to  the  oaken  gallows,  and  took 
Tzar  Solomon  most  wise  therefrom.  Then  they 
sat  Tzar  Vasily  in  the  silken  noose,  Tzaritza 
Solomonida  the  Fair  in  the  rope,  and  Guest  Tara- 
kashko  in  the  noose  of  bast.  And  having  taken 
captive  all  Tzargrad,  they  journeyed  back  around 
the  blue  sea  to  Jerusalem,  and  began  again  to  live 
and  to  pass  their  days  in  pleasure. 


223 


THE    CYCLE    OF   NOVGOROD 

(I.  VASILY  BUSLAEVICH.     2.  SADKO) 


Vasily    Buslaevich,  the  Brave  of 
Novgorod 

IN  glorious  Novgorod  the  Great,  dwelt  old 
Buslai  for  the  space  of  ninety  years.  He 
dwelt  in  peace  with  Novgorod,  challenging  it 
not,  and  had  no  dispute  with  the  men  thereof. 
At  length  he  died,  being  full  of  years,  and  left  great 
possessions,  a  widow,  and  an  amiable  son,  young 
Vasiliushka  Buslaevich,^  the  child  of  his  old  age. 

When  Vasiliushka  had  attained  to  seven  years, 
his  mother  sent  him  to  learn  to  read  and  write. 
In  this  he  succeeded  well,  likewise  in  church  sing- 
ing :  in  all  Novgorod  the  Glorious  there  was  no 
singer  equal  to  him.  Then  he  began  to  roam  the 
city,  to  loiter  in  princely  courts,  to  consort  with 
foolish  fellows  and  many  pot-house  sots,  and  to 
jest  in  rude  fashion  with  noble  and  princely  chil- 
dren. When  he  plucked  at  a  hand,  it  was  torn 
away  from  the  shoulder;  each  foot  he  pulled 
dropped  off  with  the  leg  attached;  heads  at  his 
touch  spun  round  like  buttons ;  when  he  knocked 
two  or  three  children  together,  they  lay  as  dead. 

Then  came  people  from  the  Princes  of  Novgorod 
to  the  very  honourable  widow,  to  make  complaint 
of  her  son ;  and  they  besought  her  to  put  a  stop  to 
his  crippling  the  children.  Thereupon  she  repri- 
manded and  upbraided  Vasily,  weeping  bitterly  the 
while  : 

^  See  Appendix. 
227 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

"  My  sweet  child,"  she  said,  "  why  goest  thou 
about  Novgorod  making  cripples  ?  At  thy  age  thy 
father  had  not  a  hundred  roubles  in  his  pocket,  but 
he  had  a  brave  body-guard. — But  thou  hast  neither 
brother  nor  brave  guards,  and  thou  wilt  never  be 
able  to  settle  matters  with  any  one." 

Vasily  liked  not  this  word,  and  ascended  to  his 
lofty  tower.  There  he  sat  himself  down  in  his 
folding-chair,  and  wrote  inany  a  scroll  with  speed, 
and  wisely  were  the  words  ordered  therein  :  "  Who- 
so will  eat  savoury  viands  all  ready  to  hand,  drink 
green  wine  without  price,  and  wear  flowered 
raiment  of  divers  hues,  let  him  repair  to  Vaska's 
court." 

Then  he  bound  these  scrolls  to  stout  arrows,  and 
shot  them  into  Novgorod.  As  the  men  of  Novgo- 
rod came  from  church,  they  gathered  them  up  in 
the  streets  and  lanes ;  and  some  who  could  read 
chancing  there,  they  looked  upon  the  scrolls,  and 
interpreted  them  :  "  Vasily  commandeth  us  to  an 
honourable  feast." 

Young  Vasily  Buslaevich  made  ready  for  his 
guests.  He  rolled  a  cask  of  green  wine  of  forty 
buckets  from  his  vaults,  and  set  it  in  the  midst  of 
his  court,  and  took  to  himself  a  cudgel  of  red 
elm. 

"  Whosoever  shall  lift  in  one  hand  a  cup  of  this 
wine,  in  weight  a  pood  and  a  half,  and  shall  quaff 
it  at  a  breath,  and  shall  likewise  withstand  a  blow 
from  my  red  elm  upon  his  turbulent  head,  he  shall 
make  one  of  my  brave  body-guard,"  quoth  Vasily. 

That  night  he  slept  in  his  lofty  tower,  on  a 
bed  of  down  laid  upon  a  little  couch  of  smoothed 
planks. 

The  next  morning,  very  early,  the  honourable 
widow  Avdotya  Vasilievna  paced  her  palace,  and 
looked  out  upon  her  spacious  courtyard ;    and  lo  ! 

228 


VASILY   BUSLAEVICH 

it  was  black  with  the  assembled  host.     In  haste 
she  went  to  her  dear  son,  and  said  : 

"  Thou  sleepest,  Vasiliushka,  and  takest  thine 
ease,  and  knowest  not  the  evil  that  standeth  even 
now  at  thy  gates.  Lo  !  a  force  black  as  the  raven 
is  in  thy  court." 

Vasily,  when  he  heard  that,  sprang  quickly  to 
his  nimijle  feet,  grasped  his  red  elm  in  his  white 
hands,  and  went  forth  into  the  spacious  court. 

"  Ai,  Vasiliushka  Buslaevich  !  "  cried  the  men  of 
Novgorod,  "  we  stand  now  within  thy  court,  and 
are  minded  to  devour  all  thy  viands,  drink  up  all 
thy  liquors,  wear  out  all  thy  flowered  garments, 
and  drag  forth  thy  golden  treasure." 

But  this  discourse  pleased  not  Vasily.  He 
leaped  forth  into  the  court,  grasped  his  red  elm 
more  firmly,  and  began  to  brandish  it.  Where  he 
swung  it  a  lane  appeared,  where  he  drew  it  back, 
an  alley;  and  he  slew  the  men  of  Novgorod  like 
a  thunderstorm,  so  that  they  laj^  dead  in  heaps. 
And  Vasily  returned  again  to  his  lofty,  golden- 
crowned  tower. 

Then  came  Kostj^a  ^  New-trader,  took  a  cup  of 
green  wine,  raised  it  with  one  hand,  drained  it  at 
a  single  draught.  Thereupon  Vasily  sprang  forth 
from  the  new  hall,  grasping  his  red  elm,  and  smote 
Kostya  a  deadly  blow;  but  the  child  stood  firm 
and  moved  not,  the  black  curls  on  his  turbulent 
head  waved  not,  the  full  cup  in  his  hand  was  not 
spilled. 

"Is  my  strength  less  than  of  old?"  quoth 
Vasily  :  ""  doth  not  my  red  elm  serve  me  as  of 
yore?" 

And  lo  !  a  little  stone  lay  there,  white  and  burn- 
ing :  on  this  he  essayed  his  strength — and  the 
stone  was  shivered  to  atoms. 

^  Kostya,  diminutive  of  Konstantine. 
229 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

"  Ai,  Kostya  New-trader  !  "  he  cried,  "  be  thou 
of  my  brave  body-guard,  and  enter  now  my  palace 
of  white  stone." 

Then  came  Lame  Potanyshka,  Hfted  the  great 
cup  in  one  hand,  drained  off  the  green  wine  at  a 
breath,  and  when  he  had  withstood  Vasily's  stern 
assault  he  likewise  became  one  of  the  body-guard ; 
and  in  like  manner  also,  Komushka  the  Hunch- 
back. 

These  three  went  not  forth  from  the  new  hall. 

"  Enter  now  my  palace  of  white  stone,"  quoth 
Vasily.  "  There  we  will  quaff  sweet  liquors,  and 
eat  sugar  viands ;  and  there  is  none  in  Novgorod 
whom  we  must  fear." 

Thus  did  Vasily  choose  his  brave  body-guard, 
and  chose  these  three,  no  more. 

After  that,  Vasily  made  an  honourable  feast  for 
the  men  of  Novgorod.  But  when  they  came  to  it, 
he  gave  meat  and  drink  to  his  guards,  and  gave 
neither  meat,  drink,  nor  honour  to  the  men  of 
Novgorod. 

So  when  the  men  of  Novgorod  perceived  that 
things  were  not  well  with  them  they  said  :  "  Cursed 
be  thou,  Vasily  Buslaevich  !  We  have  come  at  thy 
bidding,  yet  have  neither  fared  sumptuously,  nor 
worn  fine  apparel.  Therefore  is  eternal  strife  en- 
gendered." Then  they  took  counsel  together,  and 
said  : 

"  Children  !  let  us  turn  Vasiliushka  into  a 
laughing-stock  :  let  us  make  an  honourable  feast 
for  Vasily,  and  let  us  not  bid  him  to  it — this 
miserable  little  Vasily  !  " 

So  they  made  their  feast.  And  when  Vasily 
heard  of  it,  he  said  :  "  My  lady  mother,  I  shall 
go  to  that  feast." 

Avdotya  Vasilievna,  that  honourable  widow, 
would    have    dissuaded   him.     "  My    dear    child," 

230 


VASILY  BUSLAEVICH 

she  spoke,  "  there  is   room  for  the  guest  who   is 
bidden,  but  not  for  him  who  is  unbidden  " 

Nevertheless  Vasily  hearkened  not  to  his 
mother  s  counsel.  He  took  his  brave  body-cruard 
and  went  to  the  feast.  He  asked  no  leave  of  the 
gate-keepers,  nor  yet  of  the  lackeys  at  the  doors 
but  entered  straight  the  banquet  hall.  He  set  his 
right  foot  in  the  hall,  his  left  on  the  oaken  table  in 
the  great  corner,  and  flung  himself  on  the  wall- 
bench  in  the  corner  by  the  oven,  stretching  out  his 
right  hand  and  his  right  foot. 

The  guests  all  came  to  the  oven-corner;  and 
Vasily  moved  to  the  corner  by  the  door,  and 
stretched  out  his  left  hand  and  left  foot.  There- 
upon the  guests  went  to  the  new  hall,  and  some 
lied  to  their  homes  in  terror. 

Then  Vasily  went  to  the  oaken  tables  with  his 
body-guard,  and  all  the  guests  assembled  again, 
and  said  :  "  Though  thou  hast  taken  thy  seat  in 
the  great  corner,  Vasily  Buslaevich,  yet  art  thou 
an  unbidden  guest,  while  we  are  bidden." 

Thereto  Vasily  made  answer  :  "  Though  I  be  an 
unbidden  guest,  where  I  am  placed,  there  will  I 
sit;  and  what  cometh  under  my  hand,  that  will 
1  eat  and  drink." 

•  ^u!  r^  f^^^  declined  to  even,  the  feast  waxed 
mirthful ;  all  the  guests  grew  drunken  and  merry 
and  began  to  make  great  brags.  Thereupon 
Vasily,  with  drunken  and  stupid  mind,  laid  a  areat 
wager,  even  his  turbulent  head,  that  he  woufd  go 
on  the  morrow  to  the  bridge  over  the  Volkof,  and 
there,  with  the  sole  aid  of  his  good  guard,  hold  his 
own  against  all  Novgorod. 

When  he  left  the  feast,  and  returned  home  to 
his  princely  palace  with  drooping  head,  and  eyes 
fixed  on  the  ground,  his  mother  inquired  the  cause 
of  his  sadness. 

231 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

"  Did  they  pass  thee  with  the  cup,  or  did  some 
drunken  churl  jeer  at  thee?  " 

Vasily  could  make  no  reply,  but  his  brave  body- 
guard told  her  all.  Then  Avdotya  Vasilievna  put 
her  shoes  in  haste  upon  her  bare  feet,  cast  her 
mantle  of  sables  upon  one  shoulder,  took  her 
golden  keys,  and  went  to  her  deep  vaults.  There 
she  heaped  a  bowl  with  red  gold,  another  with 
pure  silver,  and  yet  a  third  with  fair  round  pearls, 
and  came  to  the  honourable  feast.  She  crossed 
herself  as  prescribed,  did  reverence  in  courteous 
wise,  and  said  : 

"  Hail,  ye  men  of  Novgorod  !  Forgive  now 
Vasily  his  fault." 

But  they  refused  to  accept  her  gifts,  or  to 
pardon  Vasily.  "  If  the  Lord  help  us  to  take 
Vasily,  we  will  ride  his  good  steeds,  wear  his 
flowered  garments,  and  squander  his  golden  treas- 
ure. We  will  pardon  him  when  we  shall  have  cut 
off  his  head  !  " 

Then  Avdotya  Vasilievna  went  home  in  grief 
and  sadness,  scattering  the  red  gold,  pure  silver, 
and  fair  round  pearls  over  the  open  plain,  saying  : 
"  Not  this  is  dear  to  me,  but  the  turbulent  head  of 
my  beloved  son,  young  Vasily  Buslaevich  !  " 

So  when  she  was  come  to  her  own  dwelling, 
she  gave  Vasily  to  drink  of  the  cup  of  forgetful- 
ness,  led  him  to  a  deep  dungeon,  and  locked  him 
securely  therein.  Then  she  loosed  his  good  steed 
in  the  open  plain,  and  hid  his  red-elm  cudgel  of 
forty  poods,  his  sharp  sword,  and  heroic  garments. 

Early  the  next  morning,  Vasily's  brave  troop 
took  their  stand  by  the  Volkof  river,  and  began 
to  contend  with  the  men  of  Novgorod. 

All  that  day  they  fought  without  eating;  a 
second  day  and  night  they  fought  without  drinking, 
and  yet  a  third  day  without  pausing  to  rest. 

232 


VASILY   BUSLAEVICH 

In  the  meanwhile  Vasily  slept,  and  took  his 
ease,  knowing  naught  of  the  evil  that  was  come 
upon  them.  But  a  brave,  black-visaged  hand- 
maiden, who  went  with  her  oaken  buckets  and 
her  maple  yoke  to  the  stream  for  fresh  water, 
beheld  the  evil  case  of  the  bold  youths.  She 
seized  her  yoke,  and  began  to  brandish  it,  and  slew 
four  hundred  men  therewith.  Then  she  ran  very 
quickly,  and  came  to  the  dungeon,  and  cried  : 

"■  Sleepest  thou,  Vasily,  and  wilt  not  waken  ? 
Upon  yon  Volkof  bridge  thy  brave  guards  stand 
up  to  their  knees  in  blood,  and  captive,  their  heads 
broken  with  whips,  their  hands  bound  with  their 
girdles." 

Thereupon  Vasily  entreated  the  black-visaged 
maid  :  "  Release  me  from  this  dungeon,  and  I  will 
give  thee  golden  treasure  as  much  as  thou  desirest." 

So  she  undid  the  door,  breaking  the  lock  with 
her  maple  yoke,  and  let  Vasily  out  into  the  white 
world.  And  since  he  could  not  find  his  warlike 
harness,  his  mace  and  sharp  spear,  he  wrenched 
the  iron  axle  from  a  cart  w^iich  stood  near  by  (its 
length  was  two  fathoms,  and  its  w^eight  forty  poods), 
— threw  it  over  his  heroic  shoulder,  and  said  : 

"  I  thank  thee,  damsel,  that  thou  didst  not  let 
my  brave  body-guard  perish.  I  will  reckon  with 
thee  hereafter,  but  now  I  must  not  tarry,"  and 
therewith  departed. 

When  he  came  to  the  Volkof  bridge,  and  found 
all  as  the  maiden  had  told  him,  he  shouted  : 

"  Ai,  my  brave  body-guard  !  Ye  have  break- 
fasted, now  let  me  dine.  'Twas  not  I,  brothers, 
who  betrayed  ye,  but  my  own  mother.  Go  now, 
my  well-beloved  brothers,  and  rest,  while  I  play 
with  these  children." 

Then  he  began  to  stride  about  upon  the  bridge, 
brandishing  his  axle,  and  the  men  of  Novgorod  fell 

233 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

in  heaps  before  him.  The  princes  perceived  that 
their  pitiless  inevitable  fate  was  come  upon  them, 
and  that  Vasily  would  leave  no  man  alive  of  all 
Novgorod,  and  so  went  with  the  Voevoda  and 
the  Elder  to  his  lady  mother,  and  spoke  this 
word  : 

"  Ai,  thou  honourable  widow,  Avdotya  Vasi- 
lievna !  Curb  thy  dear  child,  young  Vasily 
Buslaevich ;  soften  his  heroic  heart,  that  he  may 
leave  but  a  handful  of  our  men  alive."  But  she 
replied  : 

"  I  dare  not,  ye  princes  of  Novgorod.  I  have 
done  him  grievous  wrong,  in  that  I  confined  him 
in  a  deep  dungeon.  But  my  dear  child  hath  a 
godfather,  the  Ancient  Pilgrim,  who  dwelleth  in 
the  Sergyei  monastery.  He  hath  great  power; 
ask  him." 

So  the  princes  went  to  the  Ancient  Pilgrim, 
and  told  him  all ;  and  he  sorrowed  greatly,  but 
made  ready  to  go.  He  leaped  into  the  lofty  belfry, 
tore  down  the  great  bell  of  St.  Sophia,  in  weight 
three  thousand  poods,  and  set  it  on  his  head,  as  a 
good  cap.  When  he  set  out  for  the  Volkof  bridge, 
he  leaned  upon  the  clapper  for  a  staff,  and  the 
bridge  bent  beneath  him  as  he  went. 

Straight  up  to  Vasily' s  clear  eyes  he  strode,  and 
spoke  :  "  My  godchild  !  Restrain  thy  heroic  heart ; 
spare  at  least  a  remnant  of  these  men." 

But  Vasily's  heroic  heart  grew  hot  at  this 
speech. 

"  Ai,  my  godfather  !  "  quoth  he.  "  If  I  gave 
thee  no  egg  at  Easter-tide,  yet  take  thou  this  red 
one  now  at  Peter's  day.     Christ  is  risen  !  "  ^ 

Thereupon  he  smote  the  Ancient  Pilgrim  upon 
the  great  bell  of  Sophia,  with  his  axle;  and  after 
that  one  blow,  the  Pilgrim's  praise  was  sung.^ 
^  The  Easter  greeting  in  Russia.         -  He  was  dead. 
234 


VASILY  BUSLAEVICH 

But  Vasily  seized  the  great  clapper,  and  con- 
tinued to  slay  the  men  of  Novgorod.  At  length 
the  princes  prevailed  upon  his  mother  to  make 
intercession  for  them.  So  she  arrayed  herself  in  a 
robe  of  black,  threw  a  cloak  of  sables  about  her 
shoulders,  set  a  helmet  on  her  turbulent  head,  and 
went  to  her  dear  child.  The  old  woman  was  wise, 
and  approached  him  not  from  before,  but  crept  up 
behind  him,  fell  upon  his  mighty  shoulders,  and 
entreated  him.  Vasily  dropped  his  arms,  the  axle 
fell  from  his  hands  to  damp  mother  earth,  and  he 
said  : 

"  Fair  lady  mother  !  thou  art  a  cunning  old 
woman  and  a  wise  !  Thou  hast  known  how  to 
break  my  great  power,  by  coming  upon  me  from 
behind;  for  if  thou  hadst  approached  me  from 
before,  I  should  not  have  spared  thee,  my  lady 
mother,  but  should  have  slain  thee  in  the  stead  of 
a  man  of  Novgorod." 

Then  came  the  Princes,  the  Voevoda,  and  the 
Elders  of  Novgorod,  and  fell  at  Vasily's  feet,  and 
prayed  him  to  be  their  guest. 

And  they  besought  him  also  to  gather  up  the 
bodies  of  the  slain,  and  give  them  to  damp  mother 
earth;  for  the  waters  of  the  Volkof  ran  blood  for 
a  full  verst. 

Vasily  gave  command  that  all  this  should  be 
done,  and  went  to  the  banquet,  but  felt  ill  at  ease 
there,  and  so  returned  to  his  palace  of  white  stone, 
to  his  lady  mother,  and  his  brave  body-guard. 

There  he  lived  at  ease,  healing  the  wounds  of 
his  good  guards,  and  restoring  them  to  their 
strength  of  former  days. 


235 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

By  glorious  Novgorod  the  Great,  and  on  famous 
Ilmen  Lake,  swam  and  floated  a  gray  drake,  and 
dived  like  a  fearless  duck  : — there  floated  the  red 
ship  of  young  Vasily  Buslaevich,  and  thereon  Vasily 
and  his  brave  troop.  Kostya  held  the  helm,  little 
Potanyshka  stood  on  the  prow,  and  Vasily  paced 
the  vessel,  uttering  these  words :  "  My  bright 
body-guard  and  brave,  all  my  good  youths  and 
bold  !  Set  our  vessel  against  Ilmen,  and  sail  to 
Novgorod." 

With  anchors  they  caught  the  shore,  threw  out 
gangways  to  the  bank,  and  Vasily  went  to  his 
lordly  court,  followed  by  his  brave  troop,  leaving 
but  a  watch  behind. 

When  he  came  to  his  lady  mother,  he  wound 
about  her  like  a  convolvulus  vine,  and  besought 
her  great  blessing  to  go  to  Jerusalem  town  with 
his  band;  there  to  pray  the  Lord,  to  worship  at 
the  holy  of  holies,  to  visit  the  grave  of  the  Lord, 
and  bathe  in  the  Jordan  river. 

"  Ai,  my  dear  child,"  his  mother  made  answer, 
"  if  thou  goest  for  a  good  purpose,  I  will  give  thee 
my  great  blessing,  but  if  thou  goest  to  rob,  I  will 
not  give  it;  and  may  the  damp  earth  not  bear 
Vasily  !  " 

Stone  softeneth  in  the  fire,  steel  melteth  in  the 
glow,  her  mother's  heart  gave  way  :  she  gave  Vasily 
stores  of  bread,  and  far-reaching  weapons. 

"  Defend  thy  turbulent  head,  Vasily  !  "  she  said. 

Then  in  haste  he  assembled  his  good  youths, 
and  when  they  had  taken  leave  of  his  widowed 
mother,  they  embarked  on  their  scarlet  vessel, 
raised  the  delicate  linen  sails,  and  ran  out  upon 
Lake  Ilmen. 

They  had  sailed  a  second  day,  and  e'en  a  second 
week,  when  there  came  to  meet  them  mariner 
guests. 

236 


VASILY   BUSLAEVICH 

"  Hail,  Vasily  Buslaevich  !  "  they  said. 
"  Whither,  O  youth,  art  thou  pleased  to 
journey?  " 

"  I  journey,  O  mariners,"  Vasily  made  answer, 
"  an  unwilhng  way.  In  my  youth  I  killed  and 
stole  much  :  in  my  old  age  I  must  save  my  soul. 
Inform  me,  good  youths,  the  straight  way  to  the 
holy  city  of  Jerusalem." 

Then  they  told  him  that  the  straight  way  de- 
manded a  seven- weeks'  journey,  and  the  way 
about,  a  year  and  a  half.  But  upon  the  glorious 
Caspian  Sea  was  a  stout  barrier ;  for  the  chieftains 
of  the  Kazaks,  three  thousand  in  number,  made 
their  lair  on  the  Island  of  Kuminsk,  robbing  barks 
and  galleons,  destroying  scarlet  ships. 

"  I  believe  neither  dream  nor  vision,"  quoth 
Vasily;  "  I  trust  in  my  red  elm  alone  :  haste  now, 
my  children,  by  the  straight  way  !  " 

When  Vasily  espied  a  lofty  mountain,  he  ran 
quickly  in  to  the  steep  shores,  and  ascended  that 
Sorochinskyi  hill,  and  after  him  flew  his  brave 
troop. 

At  mid-ascent,  an  empty  human  skull  lay  in 
the  road,  and  human  bones ;  Vasily  spurned  them 
from  the  path,  whereupon  the  skull  addressed  him  : 
"  Hey,  Vasily  Buslaevich  !  Why  dost  thou  cast 
me  aside  ?  I  was  no  worse  than  thou,  O  youth  ! 
And  I  know  how  to  defend  myself.  On  this 
Sorochinsky  mountain,  where  lieth  this  empty 
skull  of  a  youth,  shall  lie  likewise  the  head  of 
Vasily." 

Vasily  spat  and  passed  on.  "  Either  the  Enemy 
speaketh  in  thee,  thou  skull,  or  an  unclean  spirit  !  " 
he  said,  and  proceeded  up  the  mountain.  On  the 
very  peak  thereof  stood  a  stone,  three  full  fathoms 
broad ;  across  it  only  an  axe  might  be  hurled  :  its 
^  Saracen. 
237 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

length  was  three  arshins  ^  and  a  quarter ;  and  on  it 
was  written  this  inscription,  "  He  who  shall  solace 
himself  at  this  stone,  and  divert  himself  by  leaping 
along  this  stone,  shall  break  his  turbulent  head." 

This  Vasily  believed  not,  and  began  to  divert 
himself  with  his  brave  guards,  by  leaping  across 
the  stone.  Nevertheless,  lengthwise  they  did  not 
dare  to  leap. 

At  length  they  descended  from  the  Sorochinsky 
mountains,  embarked  again  upon  their  scarlet 
ships,  spread  their  sails  of  fine  linen,  and  ran  across 
the  Caspian  Sea  to  that  barrier  to  shipping  where 
the  robber  Kazaks  with  their  aged  chieftains  held 
their  stand.  At  the  landing  stood  a  hundred  men ; 
nevertheless,  young  Vasily  approached,  cast  out 
landing-stages  upon  the  steep  shore,  and  sprang 
to  land,  leaning  upon  his  red  elm. 

Then  all  the  bold  and  goodly  youths,  the  guard, 
were  terrified,  and  did  not  long  await  his  coming, 
but  fled  to  the  chieftains  of  the  Kazaks. 

The  atamans  sat,  marvelling  not,  and  said  : 

"  We  have  defended  this  isle  these  thirty  years 
past,  and  have  beheld  no  great  terror.  'Tis  young 
Vasily  Buslaevich  who  cometh  with  falcon  flight, 
and  youthful  daring." 

Vasily  and  his  band  strode  up  to  the  Kazak 
chiefs,  and  stood  in  a  single  ring.  Then  Vasily 
bowed  low,  and  spake  this  word  :  "  Hail,  ye  Kazak 
chieftains  !  Tell  me  now  the  straight  road  to  the 
holy  city  of  Jerusalem," 

Said  the  atamans  :  "  Ho,  Vasily  Buslaevich  ! 
We  pray  thee  to  eat  bread  with  us  at  one 
table." 

And  Vasily  refused  not,  but  sat  with  them  at 
one  table. 

When  they  poured  out  green  wine,  he  grasped 
^  An  arshin  is  equal  to  twenty-eight  inches. 
238 


VASILY   BUSLAEVICH 

the  cup  in  one  hand,  and  emptied  it  at  a  single 
draught : — and  the  measure  of  the  cup  was  a 
bucket  and  a  half.  Thereat  the  chieftains  mar- 
velled greatly,  for  they  could  not  drink  so  much  as 
half  a  bucket.  And  when  they  had  broken  bread, 
Vasily  betook  himself  once  more  to  his  scarlet 
ships;  and  the  chieftains  gave  him  gifts — a  bowl 
of  red  gold,  a  bowl  of  pure  silver,  and  a  third 
bowl  of  fair  round  pearls.  For  these  Vasily  re- 
turned thanks,  and  did  them  reverence,  craving  a 
guide  to  Jerusalem.  This  they  refused  not,  but 
having  given  him  a  young  guide  they  took  their 
leave  of  him. 

Then  Vasily  and  his  brave  troop  hoisted  their 
sails  of  fine  linen,  and  ran  out  upon  the  Caspian 
Sea.  When  they  came  to  Jordan  river,  they  threw 
out  strong  anchors,  and  landing-stages  upon  the 
precipitous  banks ;  and  Vasily  and  his  bold  youths 
entered  Jerusalem  town. 

He  came  to  the  cathedral  church,  served  a  mass 
for  his  mother's  health,  and  for  himself,  and  a  mass 
with  service  for  the  soul  of  his  father  and  all  his 
family.  On  the  next  day  was  celebrated  a  service 
with  prayers  for  the  bold  good  youths,  who  from 
their  young  years  up  had  slain  and  stolen  much. 
Vasily  prayed  before  the  holy  of  holies,  bathed  in 
Jordan,  reckoned  with  the  popes  and  deacons, 
gave  gold  without  stint  to  the  aged  people  who 
depended  on  the  church,  and  embarked  again  with 
his  band  on  his  scarlet  ships. 

Then  the  guards  bathed  in  Jordan  river,  and  an 
aged  crone  came  to  them,  and  said  : 

"  Wherefore  bathe  ye  naked  in  Jordan  ?  None 
must  bathe  naked  therein  save  only  Vasily  Buslae- 
yich  !  For  Jesus  Christ  the  Lord  himself  bathed 
in  Jordan  river.  And  ye  shall  lose  your  great 
chieftain,  Vasily  Buslaevich." 

239 


EPIC   SONGS  OF  RUSSIA 

"  Our  Vasily  will  not  believe  that,  either  in 
dream  or  vision,"  said  they. 

A  little  space  thereafter,  Vasily  came  to  his  men, 
and  gave  order  that  the  ships  should  be  sent  out 
of  the  mouth  of  the  Jordan  river. 

So  they  sailed  across  the  Caspian  Sea,  and  came 
to  the  Island  of  Kuminsk  where  he  bowed  before 
the  Kazak  captains.  With  them  he  talked  not 
much,  when  they  inquired  if  he  had  journeyed  in 
safety  to  Jerusalem ;  but  gave  into  their  hands  a 
writing  which  laid  many  labours  upon  them,  and 
held  a  service  with  prayers  for  the  youths.  Then 
those  Kazak  chieftains  bade  Vasily  to  eat  with 
them ;  but  he  consented  not,  and  taking  leave 
of  them  shortly,  set  out  upon  the  Caspian  for 
Novgorod. 

When  they  had  sailed  a  week,  and  yet  a  second, 
Vasily  espied  the  Sorochinsky  mountain,  and  was 
fain  to  view  it  once  again.  So  they  ran  up  to 
it,  threw  out  their  landing-stages,  and  began  to 
ascend. 

On  the  summit  lay  the  stone  with  its  inscrip- 
tion, which  Vasily  believed  not.  And  after  he  had 
made  merry  and  diverted  himself  with  his  body- 
guard, leaping  across  the  stone,  he  was  minded  to 
essay  a  leap  lengthwise.  He  leaped  but  a  quarter 
way,  and  falling,  was  killed  upon  the  stone.  And 
where  the  empty  skull  had  lain,  there  they  buried 
Vasily. 

Then  his  good  body-guard  sailed  home  to  Nov- 
gorod, and  coming  to  his  mother,  the  honourable 
widow,  they  did  homage,  and  laid  a  letter  in  her 
hand.  When  she  had  read  it,  she  wept,  and  said  : 
"  Ai,  ye  bold  and  goodly  youths  !  There  is  nothing 
now  which  I  may  do  for  you.  Yet  go  ye  into  my 
deep  vaults,  and  take  golden  treasure  without 
stint." 

240 


VASILY  BUSLAEVICH 

So  the  black-visaged  handmaiden  led  them 
thither,  and  when  they  had  taken  a  httle  gold  they 
came  and  gave  thanks  to  Avdotya  Vasilievna  for 
her  hospitality,  in  that  she  had  fed,  clothed,  and 
shod  the  good  youths.  Then  she  commanded  that 
a  cup  of  green  wine  should  be  given  to  each,  and 
when  they  had  drunk  it,  they  bowed  low  before 
her. 

And  after  that,  the  good  youths  went  their 
way,  each  youth  wheresoever  he  listed. 


241 


Merchant  Sadko  the   Rich  Guest 
of  Novgorod 

IN  the  glorious  city  of  Novgorod  dwelt  Sadko ^ 
the  gusly-player.  No  golden  treasures  did 
he  possess ;  he  went  about  to  the  magnificent 
feasts  of  the  merchants  and  nobles,  and  made  all 
merry  with  his  playing. 

And  it  chanced  on  a  certain  day,  that  Sadko 
was  bidden  to  no  worshipful  feast ;  neither  on  the 
second  day  nor  the  third  was  he  bidden.  Then 
he  sorrowed  greatly,  and  went  to  Lake  Ilmen,  and 
seated  himself  upon  a  blue  stone.  There  he  began 
to  play  upon  his  harp  of  maple-wood,  and  played 
all  day,  from  early  morn  till  far  into  the  night. 

The  waves  rose  in  the  lake,  the  water  was 
clouded  with  sand,  and  Sadko  feared  to  sit  there  : 
great  terror  overcame  him,  and  he  returned  to 
Novgorod. 

The  dark  night  passed,  a  second  day  dawned, 
and  again  Sadko  was  bidden  to  no  worshipful  feast. 
Again  he  played  all  day  beside  the  lake,  and 
returned  in  terror  at  nightfall. 

And  the  third  day,  being  still  unbidden  of  any 
man,  he  sat  on  the  blue  burning  stone,  and  played 
upon  his  harp  of  maple-wood,  and  the  waves  rose 
in  the  lake,  and  the  water  was  troubled  with  sand. 

But  Sadko  summoned  up  his  courage,  and  ceased 
^  See  Appendix. 
242 


MERCHANT   SADKO 

not    his    playing.       Then    the    Tzar    Vodyanoi  ^ 
emerged  from  the  lake,  and  spake  these  words  : 

"  We  thank  thee,  Sadko  of  Novgorod  !  Thou 
hast  diverted  us  of  the  lake.  I  held  a  banquet 
and  a  worshipful  feast ;  and  all  my  beloved  guests 
hast  thou  rejoiced.  And  I  know  not,  Sadko,  how 
I  may  reward  thee.  Yet  return  now,  Sadko,  to 
thy  Novgorod,  and  to-morrow  they  shall  call  thee 
to  a.  rich  feast.  Many  merchants  of  Novgorod 
shall  be  there,  and  they  shall  eat  and  drink,  and 
wax  boastful.  One  shall  boast  of  his  good  horse, 
another  of  his  deeds  of  youthful  prowess ;  another 
shall  take  pride  in  his  youth.  But  the  wise  man 
will  boast  of  his  aged  father,  his  old  mother,  and 
the  senseless  fool  of  his  young  wife.  And  do 
thou,  Sadko,  boast  also  :  '  I  know  what  there  is  in 
Lake  Ilmen — of  a  truth,  fishes  with  golden  fins.' 
Then  shall  they  contend  with  thee,  that  there  are 
no  fish  of  that  sort,- — of  gold.  But  do  thou  then 
lay  a  great  wager  with  them ;  wager  thy  turbulent 
head,  and  demand  from  them  their  shops  in  the 
bazaar,  with  all  their  precious  wares.  Then  weave 
thou  a  net  of  silk,  and  come  cast  it  in  Lake  Ilmen. 
Three  times  must  thou  cast  it  in  the  lake,  and  at 
each  cast  I  will  give  a  fish,  yea,  a  fish  with  fins  of 
gold.  So  shalt  thou  receive  those  shops  in  the 
bazaar,  with  their  precious  wares.  So  shalt  thou 
become  Sadko  the  Merchant  of  Novgorod,  the  rich 
Guest." 

Then  Sadko  returned  again  to  Novgorod.  And 
the  next  day  he  was  bidden  to  a  worshipful  feast 
of  rich  merchants,  who  ate  and  drank,  and  boasted, 
one  of  this  thing,  and  the  other  of  that  thing. 
And  as  the  rich  merchants  of  Novgorod  sat  there, 
they  spoke  thus  to  Sadko  : 

"  Why  sittest  thou,   Sadko,   and  boastest   not 
1  The  Water-King. 
243 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

thyself?     Hast  thou  nothing,   Sadko,  whereof  to 
boast?  " 

Sadko  spoke :  "  Hey,  ye  merchants  of  Nov- 
gorod !  What  have  I,  Sadko,  that  I  may  boast 
of?  No  countless  treasures  of  gold  are  mine,  no 
fair  young  wife;  there  is  but  one  thing  of  which 
I  may  boast;  in  Ilmen  Lake  are  fishes  with  fins 
of  gold." 

Then  began  the  rich  merchants  to  contend  with 
him ;  and  Sadko  said :  "I  stake  my  turbulent  head 
upon  it,  and  more  than  that  I  have  not  to  wager." 

Said  they  :  "  We  will  stake  our  shops  in  the 
bazaar,  with  their  precious  wares — the  shops  of 
six  rich  merchants." 

Thereupon  they  wove  a  net  of  silk,  and  went  to 
cast  it  in  Lake  Ilmen.  At  the  first  cast  in  Ilmen, 
they  took  a  little  fish  with  fins  of  gold,  and  like- 
wise with  the  second  and  the  third  cast. 

Then  the  rich  merchants  of  Novgorod  saw  that 
there  was  nothing  to  be  done,  for  it  had  happened 
as  Sadko  had  foretold ;  and  they  opened  to  him 
their  shops  in  the  bazaar,  with  all  their  precious 
wares.  And  Sadko,  when  he  had  received  the 
six  shops,  and  their  rich  goods,  inscribed  himself 
among  the  merchants  of  Novgorod ;  he  became 
exceeding  rich,  and  began  to  trade  in  his  own 
city,  and  in  all  places,  even  in  distant  towns,  and 
received  great  profit. 

Sadko  the  rich  merchant  of  Novgorod  married, 
and  built  himself  a  palace  of  white  stone,  wherein 
all  things  were  heavenly.  In  the  sky,  the  red  sun 
burned,  and  in  his  palace  likewise  a  fair  red  sun; 
and  when  shone  the  lesser  light,  the  moon,  in 
heaven,  in  his  palace  it  shone  also;  and  when  the 
thick-sown  stars  glittered  in  the  sky,  stars  thickly 
sown  gleamed  within  his  towers.  And  Sadko 
adorned  his  palace  of  white  stone  in  all  ways. 

244 


MERCHANT   SADKO 

After  this  was  done,  lo  !  Sadko  made  a  banquet 
and  a  worshipful  feast,  and  called  to  it  all  the  rich 
merchants,  the  lords  and  the  rulers  of  Novgorod, 
and  the  rulers  were  Luka  Zinovief  and  Foma 
Nazarief.  As  they  sat  and  feasted,  after  they  had 
well  eaten  and  drunken,  they  began  to  boast, — 
one  of  his  good  steed,  one  of  his  heroic  might, 
another  of  his  youth ;  the  wise  of  his  aged  parents, 
the  foolish  of  his  young  wife.  But  Sadko,  as  he 
walked  about  his  palace,  cried  out  :  "  Ho  there,  ye 
rich  merchants,  ye  lords,  rulers,  and  men  of  Nov- 
gorod !  ye  have  eaten  and  drunk  at  my  feast,  and 
made  your  boasts.  And  of  what  shall  I  vaunt 
myself?  My  treasures  of  gold  are  now  inexhaust- 
ible, my  flowered  garments  I  cannot  wear  out,  and 
my  brave  body-guard  is  incorruptible.  But  I  will 
boast  of  my  golden  treasure.  With  that  treasure 
will  I  buy  all  the  wares  in  Novgorod,  both  good 
and  bad,  and  there  shall  be  none  for  sale  any  more 
in  all  the  city." 

Then  sprang  the  rulers,  Foma  and  Luka,  to 
their  nimble  feet,  and  said  :  "Is  it  much  that 
thou  wilt  wager  with  us  ?  "  And  Sadko  answered  : 
"  What  ye  will  of  my  countless  treasure  of  gold, 
that  will  I  wager."  Then  said  the  rulers,  for  the 
men  of  Novgorod  :  "  Thirty  thousand,  Sadko,  shall 
be  thy  stake  against  us."  So  it  was  agreed,  and 
all  departed  from  the  feast. 

The  next  morning,  right  early,  Sadko  rose,  and 
waked  his  brave  body-guard,  and  gave  them  all 
they  would  of  his  treasure,  and  sent  them  to  the 
marts.  But  he  himself  went  straight  to  the 
bazaar,  and  bought  all  the  wares  of  Novgorod, 
both  good  and  bad.  And  again,  the  next  morn- 
ing he  rose,  and  waked  his  troop,  and  giving  them 
great  treasure,  went  to  the  bazaar;  and  finding 
wares   yet  more   than   before,   he   bought   all,   of 

245 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

whatever  sort.  And  on  the  third  day,  when  he 
came  to  the  market,  he  found,  to  the  great  glory 
of  Novgorod,  that  vast  store  of  goods  had  hastened 
thither  from  Moscow,  so  that  the  shops  were  full 
to  overflowing  with  the  precious  stuffs  of  Moscow. 

Then  Sadko  fell  into  thought :  "If  I  buy  all 
these  goods  from  Moscow,  others  will  flow  hither 
from  beyond  the  sea ;  and  I  am  not  able  to  buy  all 
the  wares  of  the  whole  white  world.  Sadko  the 
merchant  is  rich,  but  glorious  Novgorod  is  still 
richer  !  It  is  better  to  yield  my  great  wager,  my 
thirty  thousand." 

Thus  he  yielded  the  thirty  thousand,  and  built 
thirty  great  ships,  thirty  dark-red  ships  and  three. 
Their  prows  were  in  the  likeness  of  wild  beasts, 
their  sides  like  dragons;  their  masts  of  red  wood, 
the  cordage  of  silk,  the  sails  of  linen,  and  the 
anchors  of  steel.  Instead  of  eyes  were  precious 
jacinths ;  instead  of  brows,  Siberian  sables ;  and 
dark  brown  Siberian  fox-skins  in  place  of  ears. 
His  faithful  guards,  his  clerks,  loaded  these  red 
ships  with  the  wares  of  Novgorod,  and  he  sailed 
away  down  the  Volkof  to  Lake  Ladoga,  and  thence 
into  the  Neva,  and  through  that  river  to  the  blue 
sea,  directing  his  course  towards  the  Golden  Horde. 
There  he  sold  his  wares,  receiving  great  gain,  and 
filling  many  casks  of  forty  buckets,  with  red  gold, 
pure  silver,  and  fair  round  pearls.  They  sailed 
away  from  the  Golden  Horde,  Sadko  leading  the 
way  in  the  Falcon  ship,  the  finest  of  all  the  vessels. 
But  on  the  blue  sea  the  red  ships  halted ;  the  waves 
dashed,  the  breeze  whistled,  the  sails  flapped,  the 
ships  strained, — but  could  not  move  from  that 
spot. 

Then  Sadko  the  merchant,  the  rich  Guest, 
shouted  from  his  good  Falcon  ship  :  "  Ho  there, 
friends,  ship-men,  lower  ye  iron  plummets,  sound 

246 


MERCHANT   SADKO 

the  blue  sea,  whether  there  be  any  reefs  or  rocks 
or  sand-bars  here  !  "  So  they  sounded,  but  found 
nothing. 

And  Sadko  the  merchant  spake  to  his  men  : 
"  Ho  there,  my  brave  body-guard  !  Long  have  we 
sailed  the  seas,  yea,  twelve  full  years,  yet  have 
we  paid  no  tribute  to  the  Tzar  Morskoi,^  and  now 
he  commandeth  us  down  into  the  blue  sea.  There- 
fore, cast  ye  into  the  waves  a  cask  of  red  gold." 
And  they  did  so ;  but  the  waves  beat,  the  sails 
tore,  the  ships  strained,  yet  moved  not. 

Again  spake  Sadko  the  rich  Guest :  "  Lo,  this 
is  but  a  small  gift  for  the  Tzar  Morskoi,  in  his 
blue  sea.  Cast  ye  another  cask,  a  cask  of  pure 
silver,  to  him."  Yet  the  dark-red  ships  moved  not, 
though  they  cast  in  also  a  cask  of  seed-pearls. 

Then  spake  Sadko  once  again :  "  My  brave, 
beloved  body-guard,  'tis  plain  the  Tzar  Morskoi 
calleth  a  living  man  from  among  us  into  his  blue 
sea.  Make  ye  therefore  lots  of  alder-wood,  and 
let  each  man  write  his  name  upon  his  own,  and  the 
lots  of  all  just  souls  shall  float.  But  that  man  of 
us  whose  lot  sinketh,  he  also  shall  go  from  among 
us  into  the  blue  sea."  So  it  was  done  as  he  com- 
manded : — but  Sadko's  lot  was  a  cluster  of  hop- 
flowers.  And  all  the  lots  swam  like  ducks  save 
Sadko's,  and  that  went  to  the  bottom  like  a  stone. 

Again  spoke  Sadko  the  rich  merchant  to  his 
troop  :  "  These  lots  are  not  fair.  Make  ye  to 
yourselves  others  of  willow-wood,  and  set  your 
names  thereon,  every  man."  This  they  did;  but 
Sadko  made  his  lot  of  blue  damascened  steel  from 
beyond  the  sea,  in  weight  ten  poods.  And  it  sank 
while  all  the  others  swam  lightly  on  the  blue  sea. 

After  that  he  essayed  divers  woods,   choosing 
ever  for  himself  the  lighter  when  his  men's  heavy 
^  Sea-King. 
247 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

lots  swam,  and  the  heavier  when  his  hght  lot  fell 
to  the  depths.  Nevertheless,  his  lot  would  by  no 
means  float,  and  the  otliers  would  not  sink. 

Then  said  Sadko  the  rich  Guest :  "  'Tis  plain  that 
Sadko  can  do  nothing.  The  Tzar  Morskoi  de- 
mandeth  Sadko  himself  in  the  blue  sea.  Then  ho  ! 
my  brave,  beloved  guards  !  fetch  me  my  massive 
inkstand,  my  swan-quill  pen,  and  my  paper." 

His  brave,  beloved  men  brought  him  his  ink- 
stand, pen,  and  paper;  and  Sadko,  the  rich  mer- 
chant of  Novgorod,  sat  in  his  folding-chair,  at  his 
oaken  table,  and  began  to  write  away  his  posses- 
sions. Much  gave  he  to  God's  churches,  much  to 
the  poor  brethren,  and  to  his  young  wife.  And 
the  remainder  of  his  possessions  he  bestowed  upon 
his  brave  body-guard. 

After  that  he  wept,  and  spake  to  his  men  : 

"  Ai,  my  men,  well  loved  and  brave  !  Place  ye 
an  oaken  plank  upon  the  blue  sea,  that  I,  Sadko, 
may  throw  myself  upon  the  plank;  so  shall  it  not 
be  terrible  to  me  to  take  my  death  upon  the  blue 
sea.  And  fill  ye,  brothers,  a  bowl  with  pure  silver, 
another  with  red  gold,  and  yet  a  third  with  seed- 
pearls,  and  place  them  upon  the  plank." 

Then  took  he  in  his  right  hand  an  image  of 
St.  Mikola,  and  in  his  left  his  little  harp  of  maple- 
wood,  with  its  fine  strings  of  gold,  and  put  on  him 
a  rich  cloak  of  sables;  and  bitterly  he  wept  as  he 
bade  farewell  to  his  brave  company,  to  the  white 
world,  and  Novgorod  the  glorious.  He  descended 
upon  the  oaken  plank,  and  was  borne  upon  the 
blue  sea,  and  his  dark-red  ships  sped  on  and  flew 
as  they  had  been  black  ravens. 

Then  was  Sadko  the  rich  merchant  of  Novgorod 
greatly  terrified,  as  he  floated  over  the  blue  sea  on 
his  plank  of  oak ;  but  he  fell  asleep,  and  lo  !  when 
he  awoke  it  was  at  the  very  bottom  of  the  ocean- 

248 


MERCHANT   SADKO 

sea.  He  beheld  the  red  sun  burning  through  the 
clear  waves,  and  saw  that  he  was  standing  beside  a 
palace  of  white  stone  where  sat  the  Tzar  Morskoi, 
with  head  like  a  heap  of  hay,  on  his  royal  throne. 

The  Tzar  Morskoi  spake  these  words  :  "  Thou 
art  welcome,  Sadko,  thou  rich  merchant  of  Nov- 
gorod !  Long  hast  thou  sailed  the  seas,  yet  offered 
no  tribute  to  the  Lord  of  the  sea.  And  now  thou 
art  come  as  a  gift  to  me.  I  have  sent  for  thee  that 
thou  mayest  answer  me,  which  is  now  of  greater 
worth  in  Russia  :  gold  or  silver  or  damascened 
steel.  For  the  Tzaritza  contendeth  with  us  on 
this  matter." 

"  Gold  and  silver  are  precious  in  Russia,"  Sadko 
made  answer ;  "  but  damascened  steel  no  less.  For 
without  gold  or  silver  a  man  may  well  live;  but 
without  steel  or  iron  can  no  man  live." 

"  What  hast  thou  there  in  thy  right  hand,  and 
what  in  thy  left  ?  " 

"  In  my  right  hand  is  an  ikona  ^  of  St.  Mikola; 
in  my  left,  my  gusly." 

"  It  is  said  that  thou  art  a  master-player  on  the 
harp,"  said  the  Tzar  Morskoi  then;  "  play  for  me 
upon  thy  harp  of  maple-wood." 

Sadko  saw  that  in  the  blue  sea  he  could  do 
naught  but  obey,  and  he  began  to  pluck  his  harp. 
And  as  he  played,  the  Tzar  Morskoi  began  to  jump 
about,  beating  time  with  the  skirts  of  his  garment, 
and  waving  his  mantle ;  fair  sea-maidens  led  choral 
dances,  and  the  lesser  sea-folk  squatted  and  leaped. 

Then  the  blue  sea  was  churned  with  j^ellow 
sands,  great  billows  surged  over  it,  breaking  many 
ships  asunder,  drowning  many  men,  and  engulfing 
vast  possessions. 

Three  hours  did  Sadko  play;  and  the  Tzaritza 
said  to  him  : 

^  Holy  image, 

349 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

"  Break  thy  harp  of  maple-wood,  merchant 
Sadko  the  rich  Guest !  It  seemeth  to  thee  that 
the  Tzar  is  dancing  in  his  palace,  but  'tis  on  the 
shore  he  danceth,  and  many  drown  and  perish,  all 
innocent  men." 

Then  Sadko  brake  his  harp,  and  snapped  its 
golden  strings ;  and  when  the  Tzar  Morskoi  com- 
manded him  to  play  yet  two  hours,  he  answered 
him  boldly  that  the  harp  was  broken;  and  when 
the  Tzar  would  have  had  his  smiths  to  mend  it, 
Sadko  said  that  could  only  be  done  in  Holy  Russia. 

"  Wilt  thou  not  take  a  wife  here?  "  the  Tzar 
Morskoi  said;  "  wilt  thou  not  wed  some  fair  maid 
in  the  blue  sea?  " 

And  Sadko  answered  :  "  In  the  blue  sea,  I  obey 
thy  will." 

Then  the  Tzaritza  said  to  him  :  "  Choose  not, 
merchant  Sadko  the  rich  Guest,  any  maid  from 
the  first  three  hundred  which  the  Tzar  shall  offer 
thee,  but  let  them  pass ;  and  the  same  with  the 
second  three  hundred ;  and  from  the  third,  choose 
thou  the  Princess  who  shall  come  last  of  all  :  she 
is  smaller  and  blacker  than  all  the  rest.  And  look 
to  it  that  thou  kiss  not,  embrace  not  thy  wife ;  so 
shalt  thou  be  once  more  in  Holy  Russia,  so  shalt 
thou  behold  the  white  world  and  the  fair  sun.  But 
if  thou  kiss  her,  never  more  shalt  thou  behold  the 
white  world,  but  shalt  abide  for  ever  in  the  blue 
sea." 

So  Sadko  let  the  first  three  hundred  maidens 
pass,  and  likewise  the  second,  and  of  the  third  he 
chose  the  last  of  all,  the  maiden  called  Chernava.^ 

Then  the  Tzar  Morskoi  made  him  a  great  feast ; 
and  afterwards  Sadko  lay  down  and  fell  into  a 
heavy  sleep.     And  when  he  awoke,  he  found  him- 
self on  the   steep   banks   of  the   Chernava  river. 
^  Black-visaged. 
250 


MERCHANT   SADKO 

And  as  he  gazed,  behold,  his  dark-red  ships  came 
speeding  up  the  Volkof,  and  his  brave  body-guard 
were  thinking  of  Sadko  under  the  blue  sea.  When 
also  his  brave  troop  beheld  Sadko  standing  upon 
the  steep  bank,  they  marvelled;  for  they  had  left 
him  on  the  blue  sea,  and  lo  !  he  had  returned  to 
his  city  before  them. 

Then  they  all  rejoiced  greatly,  and  greeted 
Sadko,  and  went  to  his  palace.  There  he  greeted 
his  young  wife;  and  after  that,  he  unloaded  his 
scarlet  ships,  and  built  a  church  to  St.  Mikola, 
and  another  to  the  very  holy  mother  of  God,  and 
began  to  pray  the  Lord  to  forgive  his  sins. 

And  thenceforth  he  sailed  no  more  upon  the 
blue  sea,  but  dwelt  and  took  his  ease  in  his  own 
town. 


251 


APPENDIX 


The  Alatyr  Stone 


THIS  stone,  so  often  referred  to  in  Russian  song 
and  legend,  is  elektron,  amber,  the  precious 
merchandise  of  the  first  Phcenician  traders,  and 
of  their  successors,  the  Greeks  and  Romans.  From 
very  ancient  times  it  has  been  foimd  on  the  Baltic, 
where  it  still  abounds  on  the  whole  southern  shore, 
from  Copenhagen  to  Courland.  The  Slavs  inhabited 
these  shores  at  the  date  of  their  first  appearance  in 
history,  and  it  is  in  those  portions  of  Russia  which 
border  on  this  sea,  or  whose  inhabitants  traded  on  it 
in  early  times,  that  the  most  vivid  images  and  epithets 
applied  to  the  Alatyr  stone  are  still  preserved.  In 
ancient  times  also,  the  name  of  the  Baltic  among  the 
Slavs  was  the  "  Latyr  Sea."  As  amber  was  esteemed 
not  only  for  its  beauty,  but  as  a  medicine,  it  was  worn 
as  a  protection  to  the  throat,  chest,  and  the  whole 
body.     Numerous  spells  and  charms  attest  this  fact. 

It  is  generally  spoken  of  as  situated  on  the  "  Ocean- 
Sea,"  the  "  Blue  Sea,"  or  the  "  Island  of  Buyan  " ;  and 
it  is  called  "  white  and  burning,"  or  "  cold."  White 
refers  to  its  brilliance,  as  in  the  case  of  the  "  white 
day."  Burning  is  the  epithet  applied  to  it  in  the  frozen 
North,  while  cold  is  the  favourite  epithet  in  the  South. 

According  to  the  popular  notion,  the  Ocean  is  the 
source  of  all  rivers ;  on  this  Ocean  lies  Alatyr  which  is 
healing; — hence,  from  beneath  this  stone  proceed  all 
rivers,  and  all  healing. 

The  sea  in  which  it  lies  varies  with  the  locality  in 
which  the  song  is  sung  or  the  legend  narrated.     As  all 

255 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

interests  of  the  Arkhangel  government  centre  in  the 
White  Sea,  there  hes  the  Alatyr  stone.  For  the  dwellers 
in  the  South,  it  is  situated  in  the  Black  or  Caspian 
Sea,  while  far  inland  it  becomes  synonymous  with  a 
boundary  stone,  and  as  such  figures  at  cross-roads  and 
so  forth. 

As  Christianity  spread,  and  the  stiks  or  religious 
songs  developed,  the  Alatyr  stone  acquired  a  new 
meaning.  It  became  the  stone  on  which  Christ  was 
crucified,  and  through  which  his  blood  trickled  upon 
the  head  of  Adam,  and  of  all  born  on  earth.  Pilgrims 
returning  from  Jerusalem  declared  it  to  be  the  source 
of  all  healing,  spiritual  gifts,  and  new  life.  It  is  also 
said  to  be  the  stone  from  which  Christ  preached, 
despatched  his  disciples,  and  distributed  books  to  all 
the  world. 


256 


Volga  Vseslavich 


VOLKor  Volga  Vseslavich,  corrupted  from  Svyato- 
slavich,  is  the  Prince  Oleg  {Olg,  Volg,  Volga) 
who  succeeded  Rurik  early  in  the  tenth  century. 
Though  this  hylina  undoubtedly  preserves  a  dim  memory 
of  the  Vseslavich  of  the  Chronicles  and  the  "  Word  of 
Igor's  Expedition,"  most  of  Volga's  traits  are  purely 
mythical.  His  name  of  Volk  (the  Wizard)  corresponds 
to  that  won  by  Prince  Oleg  through  his  knowledge  of 
the  Black  Art — vyetchi,  the  Wise  Man,  or  Sorcerer. 
The  history  of  Oleg  in  the  Chronicle  of  Nestor,  a  monk 
of  Kief,  1050-1114,  is  almost  as  fantastic  as  the 
hylina.  Like  Volga,  he  made  a  trip  to  "  the  Turkish 
Land,"  in  907.  On  this  expedition,  he  is  said  to  have 
placed  wheels  under  his  ships,  and  spreading  their 
canvas,  to  have  sailed  thus  across  the  plains  of  Thrace 
to  the  gates  of  Constantinople.  The  two  heroes  also 
begin  their  military  career  at  the  same  age. 

In  the  songs  of  the  Turkish  tribes  of  Siberia,  the 
figure  of  the  sorcerer  and  hunter  who  catches  game 
and  feeds  his  followers  is  very  common,  these  peoples 
being  still  in  the  shepherd  and  hunter  stage  of  civil- 
ization. 

The  signs  and  wonders  accompanying  Volga's  birth 
have  their  parallel  in  many  other  mythologies.  Similar 
omens  preceded  the  incarnation  of  Vishnu  and  the  birth 
of  Indra  the  Thunderer  and  Lightning-bringer. 

A  similar  disturbing  approach  of  the  Thunder-god 
must  be  taken  for  granted  in  all  epic  accounts  of 
marvellously  born  heroes.  The  omens  are  also  often 
s  257 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

appropriated  for  the  use  of  historical  characters  in  the 
legends  which  crystallize  about  striking  individualities, 
as  in  the  case  of  Alexander  of  Macedon. 

The  dragon  father  in  these  myths  is  the  Thunder- 
god  ;  for  the  clouds,  in  which  primitive  man  saw 
dragons, — the  robbers  of  the  living  water,  and  of  the 
gold  of  the  sun's  rays, — were  regarded  also  as  an 
external  covering,  a  garment  or  cloak,  in  which  the 
bright  gods  and  goddesses  wrapped  themselves.  En- 
veloping themselves  thus  in  their  cloudy  garment, 
the  gods  clothed  themselves,  as  it  were,  in  a  dragon's 
skin,  and  assumed  the  monstrous  dragon  form.  The 
Thunder-god,  slumbering  within  the  frost-fettered 
clouds,  invisible  until  the  spring  in  the  radiance  of 
his  beauty,  the  lightning,  transformed  himself  into  a 
dragon.  All  Volga's  transformations  refer,  therefore, 
to  changes  in  the  shape  of  the  rain-bearing  thunder- 
cloud. 

As  the  representative  of  sorcery,  Volga  holds  the 
place  in  Slavic  epics,  held  by  Maugis  or  Malagis  in 
the  Carlovingian  epos,  especially  in  Renaud  de 
Montauban. 

Thirty  is  the  favourite  epic  number  for  the  body- 
guard (druzhina).  In  the  Chanson  de  Roland,  for 
instance,  Roland's  guard  at  the  court  of  Charlemagne 
numbers  thirty,  while  the  traitor  Ganelon  is  defended 
by  the  same  number  of  relatives.  As  the  ancient  Slavs 
had  no  other  organization  than  that  of  the  patriarchal 
commune,  this  idea  would  seem  to  have  been  borrowed 
from  the  Scandinavians.  The  tests  for  admission  to 
these  brotherhoods,  and  the  manner  of  their  formation 
among  the  latter  people,  are  well  known.  Princes, 
bishops,  and  even  wealthy  private  individuals,  like 
Churilo  and  Sadko,  had  these  guards,  which  owed 
allegiance  to  no  one  but  their  leader. 


358 


Volga  and   Mikula 

MIKULA  represents  the  intermediate  stage  be- 
tween the  embodiment  of  purely  physical  and 
of  moral  power — the  stage  between  Svyatogor 
and  Ilya.  He  partakes  of  Ilya's  nature,  as  the 
Thunder-god,  and  his  nightingale  mare  signifies, 
probably,  the  thunder-cloud.  The  assistance  rendered 
to  agriculture  through  the  rain  by  the  Thunder-deity 
led  in  course  of  time  to  his  being  regarded  as  the  god 
of  agriculture  also,  who  opened  the  plains  of  heaven 
with  his  whirlwinds,  ploughed  them  with  his  lightning- 
darts,  and  scattered  his  seed  broadcast  over  them. 

The  dependence  of  man  on  the  seasons  early  sug- 
gested the  idea  that  the  gods  had  set  the  example  of 
ploughing.  Many  ceremonies  and  traditions  are  pre- 
served in  various  countries,  which  point  to  such  a 
mythical  significance  of  the  plough.  The  Siamese,  for 
instance,  celebrate  a  festival  in  its  honour,  of  Buddhistic 
origin. 

Herodotus,  in  his  description  of  the  customs  and 
beliefs  of  the  ancient  Scythians,  the  ancestors  of  the 
Slavs,  gives  a  tradition  of  a  plough  which  fell  from 
heaven  in  supernatural  wise.  With  the  possession  of 
this  plough  and  of  a  golden  axe,  yoke,  and  cup  which 
had  also  fallen  from  heaven,  went  the  imperial  power. 
It  may  safely  be  affirmed,  that  the  tradition  of  the 
golden  implements  of  agriculture  proceeding  from 
heaven  comes  down  to  us  from  the  most  remote  an- 
tiquity.— The  Russian  peasant  still  sees  the  plough 
which  Mikula  hurled  heavenward,  in  the  constellation 
of  Orion. 

259 


EPIC    SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

Mikula,  like  Ilya,  is  a  glorification  of  the  peasant. 
Some  of  the  Germanic  chieftains  were  prevented  from 
accepting  Christianity,  by  the  thought  that  they  should 
be  obliged  to  enjoy  heaven  in  the  mixed  society  of 
common  people,  and  even  of  slaves.  On  the  other 
hand,  Slavic  traditions  all  represent  the  princely  powers 
as  derived  from  simple  tillers  of  the  soil ;  and  in  the 
Bohemian  Chronicle  of  Kosma  of  Prague,  dating  from 
the  twelfth  century,  it  is  asserted  that  "  we  are  all  made 
equal  by  nature  "  {Quiafacti  sumus  omnes  cequales  per 
naturam) — a  characteristically  Slavic  utterance  in  the 
midst  of  feudal  Europe. 

St.  Nicholas,  always  called  Mikola,  has  taken 
Mikula's  place  as  the  Christian  deity  of  agriculture,  and 
is  a  very  great  favourite  among  the  peasant  brethren 
of  the  "  Villager's  Son." 

The  affair  of  the  bridge  strongly  resembles  one  at 
the  bridge  of  Ovrukh,  related  in  the  Chronicles,  where 
perished  Oleg  Svyatoslavich — the  Volga  Vseslavich  of 
the  epic  song. 


260 


Svyatogor 


SVYATOGOR  was  the  last  of  the  Elder  Heroes, 
that  is  to  say,  of  the  prehistoric,  purely  mythical 
giants  of  the  cycle  preceding  the  Vladimirian. 
The  only  songs  belonging  to  this  cycle  which  have 
come  down  to  us  are  those  relating  to  Volga,  Mikula, 
Svyatogor,  and  the  "  One  and  Forty  Pilgrims,"  who 
are  thought  to  be  nameless  heroes  belonging  to  that 
epoch.  One  or  two  others  are  slightly  mentioned,  as 
will  be  seen  in  "  Ilya  and  the  Idol,"  where  Ivaniusho  is 
a  representative  of  the  older  race.  Syvatogor's  name 
is  derived  from  his  dwelling  in  the  Holy  Mountains 
{na  svyatyk  gorakh),  but  what  these  Holy  Mountains 
represent  on  earth  is  not  known.  Mythologically  con- 
sidered, they  are  the  clouds.  Hilferding  found  one 
very  good  rhapsodist  who  persisted  in  using  the  name 
Svyatopolk,  on  the  usual  ground,  that  "  it  was  sung 
so,"  This  suggested  to  Hilferding  that  Svyatogor 
might  be  identical  with  the  giant  of  that  name  from 
Great  Moravia — a  legendary  hero,  and  the  representa- 
tive of  Slavic  might.  The  Chronicle  of  Kosma  of 
Prague  states  that  Svyatopolk  concealed  himself  in 
the  mountains,  and  there  died  a  mysterious  death. 
Svyatopolk  also,  like  Svyatogor,  was  the  only  giant 
hero  who  did  not  war  against  Holy  Russia. 

The  adventure  with  the  pouches  is  often  credited  to 
"  Hero  Samson,"  Mikula  being  replaced  by  two  angels 
sent  by  the  Lord  to  rebuke  the  hero's  arrogance. 

A  boast  similar  to  that  of  Svyatogor  was  attributed 
to  Alexander  of  Macedon  in  the  manuscript  legends  of 

261 


EPIC   SONGS  OF   RUSSIA 

him  which  reached  Russia  from  Byzantium  in  very 
early  times. 

The  "  Elder  Heroes  "  make  way  for  the  Younger, 
typified  in  Ilya,  as  the  Titans  made  way  for  the  Gods 
in  Greek,  or  the  Jotiuis  for  the  Asa  in  Norse  mythol- 
ogy. The  Yoimgcr  Heroes  superseded  the  Elder  when 
men  became  convinced  that  in  the  battle  constantly 
waged  between  light  and  darkness,  summer  and  winter, 
light  and  summer  always  conquered  at  last.  The  dis- 
tinction betw-een  the  Elder  and  Younger  Heroes  has 
ceased  to  exist  among  the  people,  who  regard  them 
merely  as  representatives  of  different  kinds  of  heroic, 
not  divine,  forces. 

Svyatogor,  the  giant  cloud-mountain,  dies,  i.  e. 
becomes  fettered  with  cold,  and  falls  into  his  "winter 
sleep.  Popular  fancy  has  likened  the  action  of  the  frost 
to  bands  of  iron,  upon  the  frozen,  stone-like  earth. 
Svyatogor's  huge  sword,  the  lightning,  which  in  spring 
and  summer  parts  the  heavens,  prepares  during  the 
heavy  autimmal  storms  the  iron  bands  which  the  cold 
hand  of  winter  lays  upon  the  cloud. 

Svyatogor's  father  belongs  to  the  same  class  of 
easily  tricked  giants  as  Polyphemus.  Instances,  almost 
exactly  similar,  of  the  substitution  of  iron  for  the  giant 
to  grasp,  are  to  be  found  in  modern  Greek  and  Swedish 
legends,  and  in  the  eleventh  book  of  the  Mahabharata. 
The  crystal  casket  in  which  the  hero  carries  his  wife 
suggests  an  incident  in  one  of  the  tales  contained  in 
the  Arabian  Nights'  Entertainments. 


262 


Ilya  of  Murom 


No  one  of  the  heroes  has  left  so  many  proofs  of 
his  existence,  no  one  is  so  popular  or  so  firmly 
believed  in,  as  the  great  peasant  hero  Ilya  of 
Murom.  A  race  of  peasants  called  Ilya's  peasants 
{krestyanye  lUushini)  regard  themselves  as  direct 
descendants  of  the  renowned  bogatyr  ;  and  it  is  a  note- 
worthy fact,  that,  according  to  local  testimony,  the 
people  who  inhabit  the  primeval  forests  of  Murom 
are  celebrated  for  their  great  stature  and  strength. 
To  this  day,  the  peasants  of  the  village  of  Karacharof , 
Ilya's  birthplace,  point  out  a  chapel  built  upon  the 
spot  where  a  fountain  burst  forth  beneath  the  hoofs 
of  Ilya's  good  steed  Cloudfall,  as  did  the  springs  at 
a  blow  from  the  hoof  of  Pegasus.  The  chapel  is 
dedicated  to  Ilya  the  Prophet ;  and  "  to  the  fountain 
fierce  bears  still  come  to  quaff  the  waters  and  gain 
heroic  strength,"  so  the  legend  riuis. 

He  is  bound  up  with  the  religious  legends  of  Kief. 
Erich  Lassota  of  Steblau,  who  made  a  trip  to  Kief  in 
1594,  states  in  his  diary  that  he  saw  in  a  chapel  of 
St.  Sophia  the  tomb,  now  destroyed,  of  "  Eha  Morow- 
lin,  a  distinguished  hero  and  bohater,"  and  of  another 
hero ;  and  Kalnoforsky,  a  Pole,  in  a  book  published  in 
1638,  says  that  Ilya  lived  about  1188.  His  portrait  was 
published  in  the  seventeenth  century  among  the  saints 
of  Kief,  with  an  inscription  to  the  effect  that  his  body 
was  still  uncorrupted — which  corresponds  to  the  state- 
ment in  the  epic  poems,  that  he  was  turned  to  stone. 

In  this  portrait  he  appears  as  a  gaunt  ascetic,  with 
masses  of  hair  and  beard,   barely  covered  with   his 

263 


EPIC   SONGS   OF  RUSSIA 

mantle,  and  with  hands  outstretched.  One  of  the 
rhapsodists  who  sang  the  lay  of  the  heroes'  end  to 
Hilferding  in  1870,  said  that  he  knew  Ilya  was  turned 
to  stone  in  Kief,  because  some  people  had  once  made 
a  pilgrimage  thither  to  see  how  his  fingers  were  placed 
for  the  sign  of  the  cross — great  importance  being 
attached  to  this  point.  They  saw  Ilya,  but  his  hand 
was  broken,  and  the  question  remained  imscttled. 

The  antiquity  of  the  legends  about  Ilya  is  shown  by 
the  mention  of  his  name  in  the  cycle  of  Dietrich  of  Berne, 
which  was  compiled  in  the  thirteenth  century  from 
songs  already  existing.  He  appears  as  the  brother  of 
the  Russian  King  Voldemar,  Ilya  the  Greek,  referring 
to  his  religion,  or  in  the  Russian  form  of  Ilias  von 
Riuzcn ;  the  German  would  be  Ellas.  His  exploits  in 
Dietrich  of  Berne  have,  however,  nothing  to  do  with 
those  attributed  to  Ilya  in  the  epic  songs. 

Notwithstanding  all  this  tolerably  strong  evidence  of 
his  actual  existence,  Ilya  is  a  purely  mj'thical  person- 
age, an  incarnation  of  the  Thunder-god,  the  successor 
of  heathen  Pcrun.  In  the  Christian  mythology  of  the 
peasants,  he  appears  as  "  Ilya  (Elijah)  the  Prophet," 
probably  on  account  of  the  fiery  chariot  in  which 
Elijah  was  translated  to  heaven.  The  mythical  allu- 
sions are  confined  to  a  very  restricted  circle  of  natural 
phenomena — the  clear  heaven,  the  lightning,  the  rain, 
the  thunder-clouds,  and  the  powers  of  darkness  in 
general.  Like  Thor  and  Indra,  he  wages  incessant 
battle  against  the  evil  powers,  and  there  are  few  epi- 
sodes in  his  career  to  which  a  parallel  docs  not  exist 
among  the  various  Indo-European  races. 

One  of  the  most  widely  disseminated  of  traditions  is 
that  concerning  the  tardy  development  of  the  hero's 
strength,  his  late  entrance  upon  active  life,  or  long 
obscurity  under  persecution  or  in  exile.  Cinderella 
(Slavic  Popeliuga),  and  the  youngest  of  three  Princes 
who  carries  everything  before  him  at  last,  after  years 
of  ridicule  or  ill-treatment  from  his  brothers,  are  some 
of  the  best  kno^\^l.  It  is  hinted  that  the  renowned 
Siegfried  passed  his  youth  in  obsciu-ity,  as  Ilya  sat  for 

264 


ILYA    OF   MUROM 

thirty  years  upon  the  oven.  All  these  legends  refer 
to  the  absence  of  the  Thunder-deity  in  winter. 

The  wandering  psalm-singers  who  heal  Ilya,  and 
bestow  upon  him  his  vast  strength,  are  the  rain-bearing 
clouds,  and  their  miraculous  draught  the  life-giving 
dew.  The  hero  and  his  horse  are  but  two  myths  of 
the  same  phenomenon,  originally  independent,  and  only 
combined  at  a  much  later  epoch. 

In  the  riddles  of  which  the  people  are  so  fond,  the 
horse  signifies  the  ^^^nd,  and  his  neigh  is  the  thunder. 

Another  embodiment  of  the  whirlwind  is  Nightingale 
the  Robber,  whose  historical  prototype  is  supposed  to 
be  the  Mogut,  pardoned  by  Vladimir.  The  whirlwind 
chases  the  dark  clouds  through  the  heavens,  and 
obscures  the  sunlight,  i.  e.  bars  the  road  to  Fair  Sun 
Vladimir, — troubles  the  sea  with  its  whistle  and  roar, 
and  uproots  century-old  oaks,  like  the  giant  Hraesvelgr 
in  the  Elder  Edda,  who  sits  on  the  border  of  heaven  in 
eagle's  plumage,  and  by  the  flapping  of  his  wings 
produces  the  tempest. 

The  supernatural  birds  with  iron  feathers  which 
Hercules  drove  from  the  Stymphalian  swamp,  one  of 
whom  was  named  Aella  (the  whirlwind),  and  the  two 
storm-birds  of  the  Ramayana,  who  by  waving  their 
wings  shake  the  mountains,  raise  great  billows  in  the 
sea,  and  overthrow  trees,  are  also  forms  of  the  same 
myth.  In  Latin  also,  aquila  and  vultur  furnish  names 
for  stormy  winds,  aquilo  and  vulturnus.  The  Smorodina 
is  a  mythical  river — the  rain ;  and  the  bridge  built  by 
Ilya  is  the  rainbow. 

In  his  contest  with  Falcon  the  Hunter,  Ilya  repre- 
sents the  heavens.  Falcon  being  the  lightning  which 
turns  its  sharp  blade  against  its  mother  from  the 
realms  of  darkness,  the  clouds.  To  this  lightning  Ilya 
opposes  his  own,  and  having  conquered  shines  forth 
again  clear  and  radiant.  Falcon's  mace  cast  heaven- 
ward, and  returning  always  to  his  hand,  is  the  lightning 
flash. 

The  Russian  examples  of  the  very  common  legend 
concerning  the  conflict  of  father  and  son  are  remark- 

265 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

able  for  their  number  and  variety;  some  versions 
substitute  Ilya's  daughter,^  a  "  bold  polyanitza,''  for 
Falcon;  most  of  them  have  preserved  their  tragic 
ending. 

Idol,  like  the  robbers  and  the  Tatars  who  effaced,  in 
course  of  time,  the  memory  of  the  tribes  Avho  really 
warred  against  Vladimir,  must  be  accepted  as  another 
embodiment  of  the  dark  and  hostile  principle.  The 
gluttony  ascribed  to  him  constitutes  a  sort  of  distinc- 
tion in  a  great  number  of  legends.  In  ancient  Hindoo 
myths,  it  appears  to  be  the  special  attribute  of  the  evil 
powers.  Thor  in  the  Edda  and  Indra  in  the  Rig- Veda 
are  credited  with  a  great  capacity  for  drinking,  and  Ilya 
is  represented  as  intoxicated.  Owing  to  his  connection 
with  the  rain,  drunkenness  is  the  special  attribute  of 
the  Thunder-god. 

Ilya's  conduct  in  his  quarrels  with  Vladimir  is  much 
more  moderate  than  that  of  many  epic  heroes  in 
disputes  with  their  sovereigns.  The  paladins  of 
Charlemagne's  court  pulled  the  Emperor's  beard,  beat 
him,  and  called  him  a  fool,  with  the  same  readiness  which 
they  displayed  in  humiliating  themselves  before  him 
and  kissing  his  footsteps  when  circumstances  rendered 
it  advisable. 

Many  epic  personages  disappear  from  the  scene  in 
a  mysterious  manner  which  renders  their  death  uncer- 
tain, their  return  probable  at  any  moment.  Then 
arises  the  legend  of  their  return  on  the  fulfilment  of 
certain  conditions,  as  in  the  case  of  Frederic  Barbarossa. 
As  the  Russian  heroes  were  known  to  have  been  killed 
in  battle  or  turned  to  stone,  with  Ilya's  tomb  in  two  or 
three  places  in  Kief  to  prove  his  death  in  particular, 
this  legend  has  become  the  special  property  of  Stenka 
Razin,  the  famous  Cossack  chief  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  and  his  return  is  still  awaited  by  the  peasants. 

A  fragmentary  hylina  represents  Ilya,  Dobrynya, 
and  other  heroes  as  sailing  in  the  "  Falcon  ship,"  to 
some  unknown  region,  whence  they  do  not  return. 

^  Several  heroes  decline  to  fight  her,  because  they  doubt 
their  ability  to  conquer  her. 

266 


The  Fair  Sun  Prince  Vladimir 

Two  noted  historical  personages  are  combined  in 
the  courteous  Prince  Vladimir  of  the  hylinas — 
Saint  Vladimir  Svyatoslavich,  who  established 
Christianity  in  Russia  in  the  year  988,  and  died  in  1015 ; 
and  Vladimir  Monomachus,  who  was  born  in  1053, 
and  died  in  1125.  Both  are  celebrated  in  the  Chronicles 
for  their  feasts,  and  the  latter's  courtesy  is  frequently 
referred  to.  His  name  Vladimir,  Vladyki-Miri,  Ruler 
of  the  World,  chances  to  express  his  most  ancient 
mythical  signification.  His  peculiar  title,  "  Fair  Sun,''' 
renders  it  even  more  apparent.  It  has  taken  the  place 
in  Russian  tradition  of  the  most  ancient  name  of  the 
divinity  of  the  heavens  and  the  Sun.  If  not  identical 
with  the  Volos  ^  of  the  Chronicles,  it  stands  at  least 
in  close  philological  relationship  with  him,  and  with 
the  Semitic  Baal  or  Bel. 

He  does  not  represent  the  active  principle  of  light 
and  warmth,  however,  but  the  passive.  He  paces  his 
banquet  hall,  the  heavens,  and  serves  his  guests  Avith 
wine,  but  relegates  all  active  duties  to  his  heroes.  His 
distinctive  appellation  is  courteous,  as  good  is  that  of 
French  and  Spanish  epic  kings  {le  hon  ro§,  el  buen  rey), 
or  of  King  Arthur.  But  as  the  Sun  can  be  not  only 
clear  or  courteous,  but  burning  and  oppressive,  so 
Vladimir  is,  on  occasion,  both  oppressive  and  discour- 

1  St.  Vlasy  (Blasius)  in  the  Christian  calendar.  For  some 
account  of  the  ceremonial  songs  connected  with  this  patron  saint 
of  flocks  and  herds,  see  Ralston's  Songs  of  the  Russian  People 
(p.  251). 

267 


EPIC   SONGS  OF   RUSSIA 

teous,  as  these  songs  show.  In  one  omitted  here,  Prince 
Vladimir  despatches  young  Siikman  Odikmantievich 
to  shoot  game  for  his  table.  Sukman  finds  none,  but 
destroys  an  innumerable  host  of  Tatars.  When  he 
reports  to  Vladimir  on  his  return,  the  Prince  does  not 
believe  him,  orders  him  to  be  thrown  into  a  dungeon, 
and  sends  heroes  to  examine  into  the  truth  of  the  story. 
Convinced  at  last,  he  releases  Sukman,  who  kills  him- 
self for  grief  at  his  prince's  treatment. 

Many  marriages  of  heroes  are  mentioned  in  these 
epic  songs  besides  Vladimir's,  and  in  the  epics  of  other 
nations  marriage  is  a  frequent  topic.  Students  of 
comparative  mythology  are  agreed  in  regarding  these 
marriages  as  variations  of  the  same  theme;  viz.  the 
union  of  a  bright  and  beneficent  male  principle  with 
an  obscure  and  noxious  female  principle,  taken  from 
the  realm  of  darkness. 


Quiet  Dunai  Ivanovich 

DUNAI  is  the  name  borne  by  one  of  Prince 
Vladimir  Vasilkovich's  voevodcs,  and  is  men- 
tioned in  the  Chronicles  of  the  years  1281  and 
1287.  Like  Mikailo  he  was  a  rover,  and  probably  not 
a  Russian. 

Geographical  acciu-acy  is  not  to  be  looked  for  in 
these  epic  lays.  Dunai  and  Nastasya,  as  rivers,  bear 
various  names,  and  their  courses  are  as  fantastic  as 
in  the  version  selected. 


268 


Stavr  Godinovich 

STAVR,  whom  we  meet  with  in  the  Chronicle  of 
Novgorod  in  the  year  1118,  was  not  a  boyar,  as 
stated  in  the  songs,  but  a  sotsky, — ^the  ruler  of  a 
hundred ;  Novgorod  and  its  suburbs  being  divided  into 
hundreds  according  to  their  different  trades.  The 
courteous  Prince  was  Vladimir  Monomachus,  who 
summoned  all  the  nobles  of  Novgorod  to  Kief,  and 
made  them  take  an  oath  of  allegiance  to  him.  Some 
he  permitted  to  return  home ;  others,  among  them 
Stavr,  he  sent  into  exile  in  wrath  at  some  of  their 
exploits. 

I '  Ryabinin,  one  of  the  best  of  epic  singers,  explained 
Vasilisa's  easy  victory  over  Vladimir's  heroes,  by  saying 
that  Dya  of  Murom  had  not  arrived  in  Kief  at  that 
time.  Consequently,  as  a  daughter  of  Mikula,  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  Earth  and  the  Elder  Heroes,  she  was 
superior  to  all  the  Younger  Heroes. 

Such  wrestling  and  shooting  matches  were  not  un- 
common at  feasts,  as  the  Ipatief  Chronicle  of  1150 
informs  us,  and  even  horse-racing,  as  in  the  song  of 
"  Ivan  the  Merchant's  Son." 


269 


Bold  Alyosha  Popovich 

SEVERAL  references  are  made  to  Alyosha  in 
various  Chronicles,  under  the  name  of  Alexander 
Popovich.  The  most  important,  from  the 
Nikonof  Chronicle  of  the  year  1224,  states  that 
"  Alexander  Popovich  with  his  servant  Torop  "  {Akim 
of  the  song),  "  Dobrynya  Golden  Belt  of  Ryazan,  and 
seventy  great  and  brave  bogatyrs  were  slain  in  the 
battle  of  Kalka,  by  the  Tatars,  through  the  wrath  of 
God  at  our  sins." 

This  is  the  famous  battle  described  in  "  Ilya  Muro- 
metz  and  Tzar  Kalin,"  where  Russian  chivalry  perished. 

What  relation  the  character  of  the  Alyosha  of  epic 
song  bears  to  that  of  the  actual  historical  personage,  it 
is  impossible,  with  our  meagre  information,  to  decide. 
It  is  probable,  however,  that  his  name  of  Popovich, 
pope^s  (priest's)  son,  determined  the  characteristics  of 
the  epic  hero,  rather  than  his  personal  traits. — Numer- 
ous tales  {skazkas)  ^  bear  witness  to  the  unpopularity 
of  priests  and  their  relatives  in  Russia.  His  language 
and  deeds  in  some  short  poems  justify  Dobrynya's 
description  of  him  as  a  scorner  of  women  in  "  Dobrynya 
and  Alyosha."  He  bears  some  resemblance  to  the 
Loki  of  Northern  mythology,  the  mischief-maker. 

An  incantation,  "  The  Patrol  of  the  Flocks,"  men- 
tions among  evil  spirits,  wild  beasts,  and  other  noxious 

^  See  Ralston's  Russian  Folk-lore,  p.  351. 
270 


BOLD  ALYOSHA  POPOVICH 

influences  to  be  guarded  against,   "  popes  and  their 
popesses,  monks,  nuns,"  and  so  forth. 

Tugarin,  adapted  from  Tugar-Khan,  is  the  spirit  of 
the  storm,  the  fire-flashing  cloud,  one  of  the  dragons 
combated  by  Dobrynya  as  well  as  by  Alyosha. 


271 


Dobrynya  the  Dragon-Slayer 

Two  historical  Dobrynyas  are  united  in  the  person 
of  this  hero.  The  first,  mentioned  in  the 
Chronicles  towards  the  end  of  the  tenth  century, 
was  uncle  to  Prince  (Saint)  Vladimir,  and  brother  to 
Malusha,  the  housekeeper  {kliuchnitza)  of  the  Princess 
Olga,  Vladimir's  mother.  In  the  bylinas  he  becomes 
Vladimir's  nephew  and  steward  {kliuchnik). 

The  second,  Dobrynya  of  Ryazan,  surnamed 
"  Golden  Belt,"  was  a  hero  who  perished  in  the  battle 
of  Kalka  in  1224. 

Marina  is  to  a  certain  degree  an  historical  reminis- 
cence of  the  heretic,  Polish  wife  of  the  False  Dmitry, 
Marina  Mnishek.  It  is  evident  that  her  name  must 
have  superseded  the  original  one  in  the  seventeenth 
century.  That  name  was  in  earlier  times  probably 
"  Marya  the  White  Swan,"  as  her  character  is  identical 
with  those  of  the  treacherous  wives  of  Mikailo  the 
Rover,  and  Ivan  Godinovich  :  in  some  versions  of  the 
latter  she  is  called  Marya  instead  of  Avdotya.  Mora 
or  Morena,  the  goddess  of  serpents,  death,  sleep,  and 
cold,  was  no  doubt  the  original  heroine. 

Marina  Mnishek,  like  the  Marina  of  the  song,  was 
reputed  a  witch  among  the  common  people,  and  like 
her  the  latter  is  sometimes  designated  as  the  "  heretic." 
This  Slavic  Circe  typifies  the  dark  and  hurtful  female 
principle  which  is  united  to  a  bright  and  beneficent 
male  principle. 

It  often  happens  in  mythology,  that  one  deity  is 
divided  into  two  or  more  distinct  persons,  in  accord- 

272 


DOBRYNYA   THE   DRAGON-SLAYER 

ance  with  his  various  attributes.  This  is  the  case  here. 
While  Vladimir  is  the  passive,  inactive  principle  of  the 
Sun,  and  pursues  his  way  tranquilly  through  the  sky, 
the  active,  warlike  principle  is  embodied  in  Dobrynya. 

Dobrynya  wages  incessant  war  with  darkness,  tri- 
umphing over  it  every  morning,  and  with  winter,  whose 
fetters  he  strikes  asunder  every  siDring  with  the  sword 
of  his  rays.  Like  Krishna,  Apollo,  Hercules,  Frey, 
Siegfried,  and  Yegory  the  Brave,  the  St.  George  of  the 
religious  ballads,  he  is  a  slayer  of  dragons ;  like  Perseus 
and  Yegory,  he  rescues  captive  women. 

He  possesses  traits  in  common  with  Ilya,  also.  For 
the  Sun-god  and  the  Thunder-god  are  both  descendants 
of  Svarog,  the  Heaven,  the  father  of  all  gods.  Hence 
their  brotherhood  in  arms  was  originally  a  mythical 
bond.  Dobrynya  corresponds  to  Odin,  Ilya  to  Thor, 
in  Northern  mythology. 

The  marriage  round  the  bush  is  undoubtedly  the 
ancient  heathen  rite  against  which  early  Russian 
writers  inveigh. 

Dobrynya's  long  absence  from  Nastasya,  the  Russian 
Penelope,  has  the  same  mythical  signification  as  Mikailo 
Rover's  imprisonment  in  the  stone,  or  Ilya's  long  con- 
finement to  the  oven — the  night  and  winter  repose 
of  the  deities  of  light  and  warmth.  Dobrynya's  trans- 
formation into  an  aurochs  likewise  represents  the 
obscuration  of  the  beneficent  summer  deities  in  winter, 
and  his  golden  horns  are  an  intimation  of  his  bright 
origin. 

These  Russian  poems  treating  of  the  return  of  the 
long-absent  husband  are  more  complete  and  perfect  in 
form,  and,  from  an  epic  point  of  view,  more  original, 
than  either  the  oral  traditions  of  Western  Europe 
which  are  chiefly  in  prose,  or  than  the  literary  versions 
which  go  back  to  the  thirteenth  century. 


278 


Ivan  Godinovich 


PULLING  off  the  bridegroom's  boots,  in  token  of 
wifely  submission,  was  one  of  the  ceremonies 
which  were  regularly  performed  after  a  wedding. 
Apparently,  in  the  oldest  versions  of  this  song,  Avdotya's 
refusal  to  pull  off  Ivan's  boot  was  the  direct  cause  of 
her  death. 

Ivan's  experience  with  Avdotya  the  White  Swan 
is  supposed  to  reflect  that  of  Prince  Vladimir  with 
Rognyeda,  daiighter  of  Ilogvolod,  Prince  of  the 
Polotzki.  "  I  will  not  marry  the  son  of  a  slave,"  she 
said,  in  answer  to  Vladimir's  proposal  of  marriage, 
and  prepared  to  wed  his  half-brother  Yaropolk. 
Koschei  represents  Yaropolk.  This  was  in  allusion 
to  Vladimir's  mother,  who  had  been  a  servant  of  his 
grandmother.  Vladimir  slew  Rogvolod  and  Yaropolk, 
and  forced  Rognyeda  to  wed  him. 

After  several  years,  so  runs  the  legend,  Rognyeda 
attempted  to  kill  Vladimir  in  his  sleep,  by  way  of 
avenging  her  father's  death  and  her  own  wrongs. 
Vladimir  woke,  and  seized  her  hand  as  she  held  the 
dagger  over  him.  Then  he  ordered  her  to  dress  her- 
self in  her  wedding  garments,  and  wait  for  him,  intend- 
ing to  kill  her  with  his  own  hand.  But  she  put  a 
sword  into  the  hands  of  her  little  son,  and  bade  him 
greet  his  father  with  the  words  :  "  Father,  thou  thinkest 
that  thou  art  alone  here  !  "  Touched  by  the  sight  of 
his  son,  Vladimir  summoned  his  boyars,  and  begged 
them  to  judge  the  matter.  On  their  advice,  he  sent 
Rognyeda  and  her  son  back  to  her  native  land.     Her 

274 


CHURILO   PLENKOVICH 

descendants  thenceforth  reigned  over  the  Polotzki,  and 
warred  against  the  descendants  of  Vladimir  by  other 
wives. 

Ivan's  wooing,  as  well  as  Dunai's  wooing  for  Prince 
Vladimir,  furnishes  a  picture  of  that  rough,  forceful 
manner  of  courtship  which  prevailed  in  the  old  patri- 
archal days.  The  memory  of  it  is  preserved  in  a  great 
many  wedding  songs,  which  represent  the  bride  as 
purchased  or  stolen  away  by  an  entire  stranger.  There 
is  a  striking  hkeness  between  the  birds  which  surround 
Avdotya  and  the  two  peacocks  which  hover  over  the 
head  of  Hilda  in  Dietrich  of  Berne.  This  is  a  very 
ancient  trait,  pointing  to  a  supernatural  being. 


Churilo  Plenkovich 


CHURILO'S  name  does  not  appear  in  any  of  the 
old  Chronicles. 
The  epithet  applied  to  old  Penko,  suruzJianin, 
indicates  his  business  of  silk-raerchant  or  trader  on 
the  Surog  Sea — the  Sea  of  Azof.  Another  explanation 
professes  to  include  Churilo's  mythical  significance,  by 
deriving  the  term  from  the  same  Sanskrit  root  as 
Svarog,  the  Slavic  Saturn. 

The  numerous  attendants  credited  to  Prince  Vladi- 
mir belong  to  the  Moscow  epoch,  and  present  a  strange 
contrast  to  the  plainness  and  simplicity  of  the  court 
of  Kief.  Churilo  met  his  death  at  the  hands  of  an 
enraged  husband,  the  Bermyag  mentioned  in  the  song. 


275 


Diuk  Stepanovich 


DIUK'S  unflattering  description  of  the  lack  of 
elegance  at  Kief  is  confirmed  by  an  ancient 
account  of  one  of  Saint  Vladimir's  feasts.  This 
narrative  of  the  year  996  says  that  there  was  a  great 
abundance  of  all  sorts  of  food,  flesh  of  domestic  and 
wild  animals.  But  "  when  the  guests  had  drunk  freely, 
they  began  to  murmur  against  the  Prince,  and  to 
say  :  '  Woe  be  upon  our  heads  !  for  we  are  given 
wooden  spoons  to  eat  with  and  not  silver.'  Vladimir 
heard  them,  and  commanded  silver  spoons  to  be  brought, 
for  he  loved  his  druzhina,  and  reflected  that  a  good 
body-guard  might  acquire  silver  and  gold,  but  could 
never  be  pin-chased  by  either." 

Nevertheless,  Burhard,  the  ambassador  of  the 
Emperor  Henry  IV  at  the  court  of  Svyatoslaf  in 
1075,  was  amazed  at  the  quantity  and  magnificence 
of  the  treasures  he  saw  there. 

In  the  same  manuscript  with  the  "  Word  of  Igor's 
Expedition,"  of  the  twelfth  century,  was  foimd  an 
"  Epistle  from  Tzar  Ivan  the  Indian  to  Tzar  Manuel 
the  Greek,"  which  reads  as  follows  :  "  If  thou  desirest 
to  know  all  my  power,  and  all  the  wonders  of  my 
Indian  realm,  sell  thy  kingdom  of  Greece  and  purchase 
paper,  and  come  to  my  Indian  realm  with  thy  learned 
men,  and  I  will  permit  thee  to  write  down  the  marvels 
of  the  Indian  land ;  and  thou  shalt  not  be  able  to 
make  a  writing  of  the  wonders  of  my  kingdom  before 
the  departure  of  thy  spirit." 

276 


VASILY  AND   TZAR  BATYG 

Which  of  these  two  fictions,  the  epic  poem  and  the 
epistle,  is  derived  from  the  other,  it  is  impossible  to 
sav. 


Vasily  the  Drunkard  and  Tzar  Batyg 

THIS  song  resembles  an  episode  narrated  in  the 
Chronicles,  which  has  been  idealized  and  trans- 
ferred to  the  favourite  epoch  of  Vladimir,  and 
the  siege  of  Kief  by  Batyg  in  1240. 

In  1381,  Toktamysh  besieged  Moscow.  "  Taken 
miawares,"  says  the  Chronicle,  "  and  deprived  of  all 
power  of  defending  themselves,  nearly  all  the  inhabit- 
ants gave  themselves  over  to  drunkenness.  A  few, 
however,  fought  the  enemy  from  the  city  wall,  among 
them  a  certain  cloth-dealer,  Adam  by  name,  who  shot 
an  arrow  from  the  Frolof  gate,  and  slew  one  of  the 
horde,  a  son,  and  a  person  of  distinction,  causing 
thereby  great  grief  to  Tzar  Toktamysh,  and  to  all  his 
princes." 


277 


Sweet  Mikailo  Ivanovich   the   Rover 


IN  some  versions  of  this  poem,  Marya  the  White 
Swan  is  the  Dragon  of  the  under-world,  trans- 
forming herself  into  that  shape  in  the  coffin,  in 
order  to  kill  Mikailo.  This  malicious  view  is  the  one 
adopted  in  many  legends  and  tales ;  Mikailo  cuts  his 
bride  in  bits,  when  he  discovers  her  character,  cleans 
out  the  snakes  and  other  reptiles  concealed  within 
her  body,  sprinkles  her  with  the  living  water,  marries 
her,  and  lives  happily  ever  after. 

In  the  myth,  the  White  Swan  signifies  a  cloud  :  the 
living  Avater  is  the  rain.  The  dragon  is,  as  usual,  a 
cloud,  but  larger  and  darker  than  the  first.  Mikailo's 
roaring  in  the  grave  is  the  thunder,  and  the  bursting 
of  the  coffin  denotes  the  bursting  of  the  cloud. 

Mikailo's  candles  are  the  lightning.  His  wife  not 
only  denotes  a  single  cloud,  but  the  cloudiness  common 
in  summer,  Avhich  is  capable  of  entering  into  beneficent 
union  with  the  thiuidcr  and  lightning,  but  in  winter 
remains  sterile  in  the  heaven,  and,  dying  with  idleness, 
conceals  within  itself,  as  though  entombed,  the  Thunder- 
power,  its  husband.  For  it  appears  that  Mikailo's 
mythical  foundation  is  the  same  as  that  of  Ilya  of 
Murom,  and  of  Dunai  also,  to  a  certain  extent. 

Mikailo's  rods  and  pincers  point  him  out  as  the 
heavenly  smith,  the  forger  of  the  lightning,  which  is 
represented  by  those  weapons.  A  corresponding  in- 
stance of  double  burial  in  case  of  death,  as  a  condition 
of  marriage,  and  of  the  visit  of  a  serpent  to  the  grave, 
is  fovmd  in  a  German  tale  (Grimm,  Kinder-  und  Haus- 
mdrchen).  Mikailo  sometimes  appears  as  the  leader 
of  the  "  One  and  Forty  Pilgrims  "  instead  of  Kasyan. 

278 


Nightingale   Budimirovich 

ALL  authorities  are  agreed  as  to  the  foreign  element 
in  Nightingale  Budimirovich.  He  was  not  a 
hero  of  Kief.  Some  regard  him  as  a  Norman 
pirate,  others  as  one  of  the  prehistoric  Slavs  who  dwelt 
on  the  shores  of  the  Baltic,  The  "  land  of  Ledenetz," 
or  Vedenetz  as  it  appears  in  some  variants,  has  led  to 
the  suggestion  that  he  was  a  merchant  from  Venice, 
or  one  of  the  Italian  architects  who  came  to  Rvissia  in 
the  twelfth  century. 

One  variant  represents  Nightingale's  mother  as 
opposed  to  the  marriage  until  her  son  has  proved 
himself  in  a  long  voyage.  During  his  absence,  young 
David  Popof  arrives,  and,  stating  that  he  had  seen 
Nightingale  imprisoned  for  smuggling  in  Ledenetz, 
seeks  Love's  hand  in  marriage.  Nightingale  returns 
in  time  to  claim  his  bride  at  the  wedding  feast.  The 
incident,  and  the  treacherous  suitor's  name,  recall  the 
story  of  Alyosha  and  Nastasya. 

Nightingale  Budimirovich's  mythical  signification  is 
probably  the  reverse  of  that  of  Nightingale  the  Robber. 
They  represent  the  opposite  sides  of  the  same  atmo- 
spheric phenomenon ;  the  Robber  being  the  rude  and 
boisterous  gales,  while  fair  Love's  wooer  is  the  breeze, 
gentle  and  seductive  as  a  minstrel. 

The  description  of  his  ships  recalls  the  famous 
dragon  ships  of  the  ancient  Scandinavians.  An 
Eastern  tale  describes  the  ceiling  of  a  rich  man's 
house  as  "  covered  with  figures  of  all  sorts  of  wild 
beasts,  sea-monsters,  and  fishes.  When  the  wind  blew, 
they  moved  about,  and  were  reflected  in  the  floor." 
This   exaggerated   description   of   bas-reliefs   explains 

279 


EPIC   SONGS   OF   RUSSIA 

The  Chronicles  state  that  he  founded  a  church  in 
Novgorod,  though  they  differ  as  to  the  particular 
edifice.  He  probably  lived  in  the  twelfth  century,  and 
in  the  song  preserves  the  type  of  the  great  traders  of 
that  Venice  of  the  North  in  the  middle  ages,  Novgorod 
the  Great. 

He  must  have  been  a  prominent  figure  in  his  day, 
for  frequent  reference  is  made  to  him  in  the  Chronicles, 
in  connection  with  the  church  which  he  built,  for 
about  two  himdred  years. 


Printed  in  Great  Britain  by  Richard  Clav  &  Sons,  Limited, 
brunswick  st.,  stamford  st.,  s.e.,  and  bungay,  suffolk. 


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